HBBi 


L  I  E.  RAFLY 

OF   THL 

UN  IVERSITY 

or    ILLI  NOIS 

GIO.923 
J63& 

COP.  n 


liif.  \V.^,  St/*?'"^ 


Sixty  Years  in  Medical 
Harness 


OR 


The  Story  of  a  Long 

Medical  Life 

1865-1925 


BY 


CHARLES  BENEULYN  JOHNSON,  M.  D. 

AUTHOR   OF  MUSKLETS  AND   MEDICINE,  MEDICINE   IN   CHAM- 
PAIGN COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  IN  THE   FIFTIES,  ETC. 


Where,  0,  where  are  the  visions  of  morning 
Fresh  as  the  dews  of  our  time? 

Gone  like  tenants  that  quit  without  warning, 
Down  the  back  entry  of  time. 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 


NEW  YORK 

MEDICAL  IiIF£   PRESS 

1926 


COPYEIGHT  1926  BY  MEDICAL  LlFE  PBESS 


1^\l, 


en 


This  volume  is  dedicated  to  that  ever 
serviceable  but  now  vanishing  member 
of  the  Medical  Profession,  the  old-time 

Family  Doctor 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  MEDICAL  HISTORY 

I.  Sixty  Yeiaes  in  Medical  Haeness,  or 
the  Stoby  of  a  Long  Medical  Life,  by 
Charles  B.  Johnson.  With  an  Introduction 
by  Victor  Robinson. 

II.  Mastbk  Minds  in  Medhcne,  by  John 
C.  Hemmter.  With  an  Introduction  by  Karl 
Sudhoff. 

III.  Essays  in  the  History  of  Medicine, 
by  Karl  Sudhoff.  With  Foreword  and 
Biographical  Sketch  by  Fielding  H.  Garri- 
son. 

IV.  Pathfindebs  in  Medicine  (second 
edition),  by  Victor  Robinson. 

V.  Collected  Papers  on  Medical  His- 
tory, by  Max  Neuburger,  and  others. 

VI.  Handbook  of  the  History  of  Medi- 
cine, by  Julius  Pagel  and  Karl  Sudhoff. 
Edited  by  Victor  Robinson. 

Published   by  the  Medical  Life   Press   of 
New  York. 


FOREWORD 

"Sixty  Years  in  Medical  Harness"  is  a  simple  narra- 
rative  of  the  experiences  and  observations  of  an  every- 
day Country  Doctor  who,  on  the  one  hand  has  en- 
deavored to  be  as  frank  in  naming  his  mistakes  and 
failures,  as  on  the  other  to  note  some  of  his  successes 
and  achievements. 

During  the  period  covered  by  this  narrative,  namely, 
the  last  third  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  and  the  first 
quarter  of  the  Twentieth  Century,  a  complete  revolution 
has  occurred  in  the  science  and  art  of  healing,  due  to 
the  many  advances  and  discoveries  in  the  field  of  medi- 
cine. 

To  in  some  measure,  keep  pace  with  this  revolution, 
to  take  note  of  the  various  advances  and  discoveries,  has 
at  all  times  been  in  the  mind  of  the  writer,  but  despite  his 
ideals  he  is  conscious  that  much  that  he  has  written  will 
not  measure  up  to  the  highest  standards,  and  for  this 
and  the  narrative's  many  other  shortcomings  the  writer 
craves  the  generous  forbearance  of  the  reader. 

Champaign,  Illinois,  October  8,  1925. 

Charles  Beneultn  Johnson,  M.D. 


Chapter 

I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 
VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

■    XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 
XXIII. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Page 

From  War  to  Peace '.       1 

In  and  About  the  Medical  Ampitheatre —     12 

Some  People  and  Some  Things 21 

A  Few  Medical  Crumbs  Picked  Up  in  Chi- 
cago in  1867 32 

A  Learner  and  Withal  a  Teacher 47 

Some  Medical  Gleanings  from  St.  Louis  in 

1868 56 

Medicine  in  1868 71 

I  Go  on  a  Quest 84 

My  First  Patients 92 

How  People  Lived  in  the  Sixties  and  Sev- 
enties  110 

I   Change  My  Location  and  Find  Work 

Among  the  Pioneers  on  the  Prairie 119 

Again  in  the  Amphitheatre 136 

I  Resume  My  Practice  on  the  Prairies 147 

From  the  Prairie  to  the  Village 157 

A  Veteran  Medical  Society  and  Some  of 

Its  Characters 170 

I  Locate  in  Champaign  City 183 

Medicine  in  the  Eighties  and  Nineties 197 

Mostly  About  Things,  Horses  and  People-  209 

The  Alcohol  Problem 227 

Tuberculosis 238 

A  Member  of  the  Illinois  State  Board  of 

Health 248 

My  Medical  Library 259 

Our  Singing  Doctor 274 


vn 


XXIV.     "Grip,"  the  Great  Pandemic  of  the  Late 
Eighties  and  Early  Nineties.     "Flu," 

the  Great  Pandemic  of  1918-19 283 

XXV.     Medical  Societies 295 

XXVI.     Medical  Societies   (Continued) 314 

Index 327 


vin 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Dr.  C.  B.  Johnson Frontispiece 

Coiydon  L.  Ford opposite  page    20 


Samuel  G.  Armor 

Abram   Sager 

Alonzo  B.  Palmer 

Silas  H.  Douglas 

Moses   Gunn 

John  T.  Hodgen 

Sir  Thomas  Watson 

James  S.  Jewell 

Nathan  Smith  Davis 

A  Doctor's  Conveyance  in  the  Sixties 

and  Seventies 

A  Doctor's  Conveyance  in  the  Eighties 

and  Nineties 

James  Newton  Matthews 

Austin  Flint 

Illinois  State  Medical  Society  Badge 
1916    


20 
21 
21 

52 
53 
53 

84 
85 
85 

116 

117 
276 
276 

277 


IX 


INTRODUCTION 

The  writer  of  this  Introduction  seems  to  have  a 
special  affinity  for  the  year  1843.  Dr.  Shobal  Vail 
Clevenger,  our  Don  Quixote  of  Psychiatry,  was  born  in 
1843 ;  Dr.  Samuel  E.  Gibbs,  who  in  spite  of  his  venerable- 
ness  frequently  climbed  the  several  flights  to  our  sanc- 
tum, and  whose  Leaves  from  an  Old  Note-Book  appeared 
in  our  journal,  was  also  born  in  1843 ;  and  Dr.  Charles 
Beneulyn  Johnson,  a  large  portion  of  whose  Autobiogra- 
phy was  first  published  in  Medical  Life,  is  likewise  of  the 
vintage  of  1843.  In  passing  we  may  remark  that  1843 
was  a  mighty  good  j^ear  for  a  doctor  to  be  born — it  was 
the  year  that  gave  birth  to  Robert  Koch. 

We  wish  we  might  quote  some  of  the  letters  we  have 
recently  received  from  this  octogenarian  autobiographer. 
They  are  so  human  and  humorous,  they  exhibit  such 
mental  balance  and  physical  vigor,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
believe  they  were  typed  by  fingers  which  first  touched  the 
world  over  eighty  years  ago — Dr.  Johnson  as  a  rule  is  his 
own  stenographer.  We  regard  Dr.  Johnson  as  a  splen- 
did representative  of  the  old  time  country  doctor.  Al- 
though much  of  his  career  was  passed  on  the  prairie  and 
in  villages,  he  came  into  personal  contact  with  many 
distinguished  names  in  American  medicine :  he  chum- 
med with  Norman  Bridge  in  college,  he  roomed  with 
Isaac  Newton  Love,  he  marvelled  at  the  dexterity  of 
Moses  Gunn,  he  studied  anatomy  under  the  lame  but 
eloquent  Corydon  L.  Ford,  he  heard  Nathan  Smith  Davis 
denounce  the  germ  theory  of  disease,  he  saw  the  vener- 
ated Samuel  David  Gross,  and  he  listened  to  J.  Marion 
Sims.  His  early  practice  was  among  the  pioneers  of  the 
prairie,  his  calls  were  made  on  horseback,  and  he  car- 
ried his  office  in  his  saddle-bags.  He  was  the  first  health 
officer  of  his  community,  and  he  recalls  the  antagonism 
which  greeted  his  early  efforts  at  quarantine. 

XI 


The  entire  Autobiography  is  written  in  a  frank, 
fiimple  and  sincere  style,  and  constitutes  a  valuable  con- 
tribution to  the  medical  history  of  the  period.  The 
chapters  which  originally  appeared  in  Medical  Life  at- 
tracted favorable  notice  among  leading  medical  histor- 
ians, both  in  this  country  and  abroad.  For  example, 
Iwan  Bloch  (Berlin),  shortly  before  his  lamented  de- 
cease, called  the  attention  of  Erich  Ebstein  (Leipzig) 
to  the  Johnson  serial,  and  it  is  listed  on  page  393 
of  Dr.  Ebstein 's  noteworthy  production,  Physicians' 
Memoirs  of  Four  Centuries.  Thus  the  name  of  our 
Country  Doctor  is  linked  with  that  of  two  distinguished 
European  scholars. 

We  are  soothed  by  this  placid  and  prolix  story,  which 
never  rushes  stormily  onward  by  the  motors  of  modern- 
ity, but  peacefully  ambles  and  rambles  along  on  horse- 
and-saddle.  With  his  clamorous  autos  and  shrieking 
radios,  with  his  far-firing  guns  and  continent-covering 
aeroplanes,  man  is  in  possession  of  ever-increasing 
Power,  but  too  much  machinery  is  not  good  for  the 
human  soul,  and  our  present  generation  is  noisy  and 
frantic,  rather  than  dignified  and  happy. 

Our  high-powered  and  high-priced  specialists  may 
smile  at  the  general  practitioners  of  the  sixties,  but  in 
whose  office  was  the  sick  man  safer  ?  Expensive  appara- 
tus, imposing  suites,  aloofness,  assistants  and  secretaries, 
with  fancy  fees  and  efficient  attorneys — we  admit  this 
is  a  phase  of  the  healing  art  beyond  the  ken  of  the  back- 
woods doctors.  But  when  the  old  breed  passes,  some- 
thing never  to  be  replaced  will  disappear  from  American 
medicine,  and  we  are  glad  to  open  The  Library  of  Medi- 
cal History  with  Sixty  Years  in  Medical  Harness,  for  in 
these  pages  will  ever  live  the  spirit  of  an  old-time  coun- 
try doctor. 

Victor  Robinson,  M.  D. 


XII 


FKOM  WAR  TO  PEACE 

There  is  no  life  of  a  man,  faithfully  recorded,  but 
is  a  heroic  poem,  rhymed,  or  unrhymed. — Cabltlk 

SIXTY  years  ago  (January  1865)  the  Civil  War  was 
yet  in  progress  and  I,  a  Union  soldier,  was  in  the 
then,  enemy's  country,  serving  as  Hospital  Steward  of 
the  130th  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers,  a  regiment  then 
in  its  third  year  of  service  in  the  field,  for  the  most  part. 
As  my  duties  did  not  occupy  all  my  time  I  was  wise 
enough  to  devote  some  of  my  spare  hours  to  the  study 
of  medicine. 

As  the  regiment  was  for  much  of  the  time  at  the 
front  and  not  unfrequently  on  the  firing  line,  we  seldom 
remained  long  in  one  locality  and  our  frequent  marches 
from  place  to  place  necessitated  cutting  our  baggage  and 
impedementa  down  to  the  minimum  and  in  consequence 
our  medical  library  contained  but  few  books.  Among 
these  I  recall  Mendenhall's  Vade  Mecum,  Pereria's 
Materia  Medica,  Fowne's  Chemistry  and  Gray's  Anato- 
my, then  newly  published  and  verj'  popular  with  stu- 
dents and  practitioners  alike.  This  popularity  was  in 
part  due  to  the  work's  graphic  illustrations  and  to  the 
further  fact  that  each  anatomical  part  had  printed  its 
name  in  plain  letters. 

But  beyond  and  above  all  that  I  found  between  book 
covers,  were  the  clinical  opportunities  that  fortune  threw 
in  my  way.  Not  long  after  the  organization  of  our  regi- 
ment we  were  stationed  at  Memphis,  Tennessee  during 
the  winter  of  1862-63,  where  and  when  a  great  many  of 
our  men  feU  sick  and  in  consequence  we  occupied  a  large 
two-story  frame  house  for  a  temporary  hospital.    Four 

1 


2  Sixty  Yeaks  in  the  Medical  Harness 

of  the  larger  rooms  were  made  to  serve  as  so  many  wards 
and  these  were  soon  filled  to  overflowing  with  patients 
suffering  from  pneumonia,  typhoid  fever,  er/sipelas, 
rheumatism,  measles  and  I  recall  one  fatal  ease  of  pul- 
monary tuberculosis. 

In  that  period,  sanitation  was  little  understood,  and 
this  little  was  almost  never  put  in  practice ;  and  to  even 
a  more  pronounced  degree  the  same  could  be  said  of 
disease-prevention.  No  one  seemed  to  know  that  pneu- 
monia, erysipelas,  typhoid  fever,  tuberculosis,  etc.,  were 
infectious  and  consequently  patients  with  these  diseases 
were  all  huddled  together  indiscriminately  in  overfilled 
and  poorly  ventilated  wards.  Fortunately  there  was  in 
each  room  a  coal  fire  in  an  open  grate  and  this,  to  a  de- 
gree, at  least,  saved  the  situation  for  all  the  fresh  air 
came  through  cracks  under  the  door  and  in  the  windows. 

The  above  is  no  reflection  on  our  regimental  sur- 
geons for  they  had  average  attainments  for  that  period. 
One  of  these.  Dr.  David  Wilkins,  was  a  graduate  of  the 
Medical  Department  of  Michigan  University,  which 
ranked  as  one  of  the  most  thorough  of  its  kind.  Another 
one  of  our  surgeons  was  a  graduate  of  Missouri  Medical 
College  and  was  fond  of  telling  that  he  had  for  a  class- 
mate, Rosa  Bonheur,  later  the  celebrated  painter  of  ani- 
mals. In  that  period,  co-education  in  medical  schools 
was  not  in  vogue  and  Rosa  Bonheur 's  case  was  unique. 

The  Civil  War  hospital  bed,  always  called  a  cot,  con- 
sisted of  a  strong  oak  frame  across  the  top  of  which  was 
stretched  tightly,  heavy  ducking  and  immediately  upon 
this  was  made  the  patient's  bed.  Springs  were  never 
\ised  and  save  for  screws  and  bolts  no  iron  entered  into 
the  construction  of  the  cot.  Likewise  clean  linen  had  no 
place  in  the  makeup  of  the  beds  in  our  wards  for,  in 
lieu  of  sheets  and  pillow-slips,  rough  coarse  army  blan- 
kets served  as  makeshifts  and  here  let  it  be  said  that  the 
Civil  War  army  blanket  was  far  rougher  and  coarser 


From  War  to  Peace  3 

than  its  far  from  finely  woven  army  blanket  successor  of 
today.  As  the  modern  house  of  our  time  with  its  furnace 
heat,  running  water  and  toilet  conveniences  was  un- 
known in  the  Civil  War  Era,  it  need  hardly  be  said  that 
the  Memphis  of  that  time  was  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses but  an  overgrown  village.  There  being  no  bathing 
conveniences,  in  the  winter  months  patients  in  their  un- 
washed underclothes  sometimes  went  for  weeks  with  no 
thought  of  applying  water  to  any  part  of  the  body  other 
than  the  hands  and  face.  Likewise  there  being  no  toilet 
conveniences  and  a  dearth  of  room  to  meet  the  calls  of 
nature,  vessels  had  to  be  used  in  the  wards  and  removed 
as  promptly  as  possible.  In  all  instance  the  contents  of 
these  vessels  were  emptied  on  the  surface  of  a  garden 
spot  back  of  the  building  we  occupied. 

The  patients'  beds  were  made  up  substantially  as 
follows:  a  blanket  folded  to  proper  size  was  spread  over 
the  cot  in  lieu  of  a  cotton  sheet,  a  second  blanket  folded 
several  times  served  as  a  pillow  and  finally  one  or  more 
blankets  were  used  as  cover  for  the  patient  who,  let  the 
reader  not  forget,  was  more  often  than  otherwise  a  boy, 
both  in  age  and  appearance. 

The  several  wards  with  their  odor-complex  and  sad 
lack  of  white  linen  were  far  from  attractive  to  visitors 
and  soldiers  who  from  time  to  time  came  to  see  their 
sick  comrades.  However,  there  was  one  daily  visitor  who 
seemed  not  to  care  for  these  unpleasant  ward  conditions. 
To  be  more  in  line  with  the  truth  this  visitor  certainly 
cared  and  no  doubt  longed  for  their  correction,  but  as 
this  was  not  practical  no  word  of  dissatisfaction  or  criti- 
cism was  so  much  as  breathed.  The  reader  will  perhaps 
be  surprised  to  learn  that  this  daily  visitor  was  a  woman, 
Mrs.  Caldwell,  our  Hospital  Matron,  who  when  she  came 
in  the  ward  dressed  in  the  everyday  fashion  of  the  time 
which  included  a  neat  calico  dress,  hair  combed  down 
over  the  sides  of  her  face  and  a  handsome  tucking  comb 


4  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

in  the  roll  of  hair  at  the  back  of  her  head,  at  once  became 
the  center  of  all  eyes  and  doubtless  brought  to  mind 
mother,  daughter,  wife  or  sweetheart  in  the  faraway 
Northland.  Mrs.  Caldwell  made  it  a  part  of  her  business 
to  bring  certain  delicacies  from  the  kitchen,  all  the  more 
appreciated  because  prepared  by  and  delivered  from  a 
woman's  hands.  She  also  wrote  letters  for  such  patients 
as  so  desired  and  made  it  a  point  to  speak  a  kind  word 
to  each  and  every  sufferer.  So  rare  was  the  sight  of  a 
woman  in  that  then  Enemy's  Country  that  the  patients 
literally  feasted  their  eyes  on  our  kindly  matron  and 
looked  upon  her  as  a  veritable  Angel  of  Mercy. 

The  physical  examination  that  preceded  the  Civil 
War  soldier's  entrance  in  the  service  was  superficial  in 
the  extreme  and  as  a  result  many  thousands  of  unfit 
were  received  in  the  ranks.  Little  wonder  was  it  then, 
that  at  the  end  of  a  relatively  short  period  of  service, 
large  numbers  of  these  succumbed  to  disease  and  many 
of  the  same  class  were  found  to  be  so  unequal  to  a  sol- 
dier 's  life,  that  they  were  discharged  and  returned  to  pri- 
vate life,  from  which  they  never  should  have  been  with* 
drawn. 

In  our  Regimental  Hospital  was  a  small  room  which 
was  utilized  as  a  morgue  and  much  too  frequently  for 
our  satisfaction  was  tenated  by  a  dead  Comrade  till  his 
remains  could  be  placed  in  a  cheap  government  coffin 
and  consigned  to  rest  in  the  bosom  of  Mother  Earth.  To 
a  Soldier's  Burying  Ground  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city 
the  street  in  front  of  our  Regimental  Hospital  led,  and 
not  unfrequently  there  would  be  seen  passing  an  am- 
bulance in  which  was  a  government  coffin  containing  a 
dead  soldier  with  a  military  band  in  front  playing  a 
dirge,  and  on  each  side  of  the  vehicle  a  file  of  soldiers 
with  arms  reversed.  To  those  of  us  who  happened  to  be 
lookers-on  no  words  were  needed  to  apprize  us  of  the 
sad  fact  that  one  more  Northern  boy  had  given  his  life 


From  War  to  Peace  5 

to  maintain  intact  the  land  of  his  fathers  and  to  preserve 
inviolate  the  flag  under  which  he  had  enlisted. 

On  the  surgical  side  it  was  my  fortune  to  see  about 
every  form  of  wound  that  shot,  shell  or  bullet  could  in- 
flict. The  Ci\dl  "War  bullet  was  fired  from  a  single 
barreled  rifle  musket  and  a  muzzle  loader.  The  regu- 
lation bullet  was  what  was  known  as  the  Minnie  ball, 
weighed  about  an  ounce,  was  nearly  as  large  as  the  end 
of  a  man's  thumb,  and  in  size  and  shape  was  not  unlike 
a  white  oak  acorn.  That  the  Minnie  ball  was  potentially 
destructive,  and  this  in  a  high  degree,  need  hardly  be 
said  and  when  it  struck  a  bone  much  splintering  resulted 
in  nearly  all  instances.  In  the  event  one  of  the  long 
bones  was  hit  its  continuity  was  not  unfrequently  de- 
stroyed. Likewise  if  a  larger  joint  was  involved  the  re- 
sult was  frequently  serious  in  the  extreme,  due  in  no 
small  measure  to  the  unclean  surgery  of  the  period. 
Bullet  wounds  were  vastly  more  numerous  than  any 
other  battle  injuries.  Shell  wounds  were  relatively  few. 
I  never  saw  an  injury  inflicted  by  a  bayonet  thrust,  and 
only  one  sword  wound  came  under  my  observation  and 
this  was  relatively  slight. 

The  most  advanced  Civil  War  surgeon  knew  nothing 
of  practical  antisepsis  and  asepsis  as  we  see  it  on  every 
hand  today  and  consequently  healing  by  the  first  inten- 
tion was  a  dream  that  was  only  in  the  rarest  instances 
realized.  Never  realized  would  be  nearer  the  truth,  for 
practically  every  wound  supurated  and  "laudable  pus" 
was  always  looked  for  and  in  all  instances  welcomed. 
Substantially  all  wound  healing  was  by  granulation. 
Wounds  involving  the  abdominal  cavity  were  nearly  al- 
ways fatal,  those  of  the  brain  cavity  more  fatal  still.  As 
said  above  wounds  of  the  larger  joint  cavities  were  in  all 
instances  serious  and  oftener  than  otherwise  ended  in 
death.     Under  these  circumstances  amputations  and  a 


6  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

radical  sacrifice  of  parts  were  frequently  resorted  to  to 
obviate  fatalities. 

Through  the  occipital  bone  a  bullet  penetrated  the 
brain  of  the  Captain  of  my  Company,  during  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  and  he  was  brought  to  our  Field  Hospital 
in  a  comatose  condition  and  the  first  thing  our  Major 
Surgeon  did,  was  to  introduce  his  unwashed  and  wholly 
unprepared  index  finger  its  full  length  into  the  wound. 
Though  up  to  date  in  his  profession,  yet  our  believed- 
to-be,  especially  clever  surgeon,  had  no  conception  of  the 
fact  that  his  dirty  finger  was,  if  anji:hing,  more  deadly 
than  the  enemy's  bullet  that  had  buried  itself  in  the  pa- 
tient 's  brain.  Needless  to  add  that  the  sleep  of  coma  soon 
passed  into  the  sleep  of  death.  I  recall  one  pitiful  case : 
A  musket  ball  just  penetrated  the  skull  of  a  brave  man 
who  for  days  walked  round  in  a  dazed  condition,  but  who 
later  died.  Could  this  poor  soldier  have  had  the  benefit 
of  modern,  clean  surgery  I  confidently  believe  he  would 
have  recovered.  From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that 
I  saw  no  little  of  disease  and  battle  injuries  during  my 
term  of  service  as  Hospital  Steward  of  the  130th  Illinois 
Infantry  Volunteers  but  this  like  all  else  of  an  earthly 
nature  came  to  an  end.  In  my  case  came  to  an  end  four 
months  after  the  collapse  of  the  Confederacy  in  May, 
1865. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  let  it  be  said  that  about 
September  1,  1865  our  Regiment  went  aboard  a  boat  at 
New  Orleans  and  started  up  the  Mississippi  River  for 
our  homes  in  the  Northland  from  which  we  came  three 
years  before.  The  weather  was  delightfully  warm  and 
we  spread  blankets  on  the  cabin  deck  of  the  boat  for  our 
sick  to  lie  upon.  Among  these  was  a  typhoid  patient 
who  one  night,  in  his  delirium,  got  up  from  his  place, 
walked  a  few  paces  to  the  railing  that  surrounded  the 
cabin  deck,  climbed  over  this,  jumped  in  the  river  and 
was  of  course  drowned.    All  this  was  seen  by  the  male 


From  War  to  Peace  7 

nurse  from  a  little  distance  where  he  was  occupied  with 
another  duty  and  from  which  he  could  not  reach  the 
patient  in  time  to  prevent  the  fatal  plunge.  This  was 
tragic  death  No.  1,  but  before  we  ended  our  up-river 
journey  we  Avere  destined  to  encounter  tragic  death 
No.  2,  really  more  tragic  than  death  No.  1  as  the  follow- 
ing will  show.  One  morning  a  certain  soldier  was  missed 
at  roll  call  and  as  no  one  knew  anything  of  his  where- 
abouts the  conclusion  was  reached  that  he  had  fallen 
overboard  in  the  night  time  with  no  one  to  witness  his 
misfortune.  Some  ten  days  later  after  we  had  reached 
Camp  Butler  near  Springfield,  Illinois,  our  Colonel  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  the  Commandant  at  Vicksburg, 
Mississippi,  sa^'ing  that  the  body  of  a  dead  man  floating 
in  the  river  had  been  rescued  and  was  found  to  have  a 
bullet  hole  in  his  head  and  papers  found  on  his  body 
pointed  to  him  as  the  missing  soldier  from  our  regiment 
who  had  disappeared  so  mysteriously.  The  finding  of 
the  man's  dead  bod}^  in  this  way  only  added  to  the  mys- 
tery for  night  and  day  guards  were  on  duty  on  the  boat 
and  these  avowed  that  neither  in  sunlight  nor  darkness 
was  there  heard  the  report  of  a  gun.  The  tragic  deaths 
of  these  two  Civil  War  veterans  at  the  end  of  three  years 
of  strenuous  ser\ice  were  but  further  illustrations  of  the 
fact  that  I  had  all  along  brought  home  to  me,  namely, 
that  in  our  war  experience  life  was  cheap,  yes  frightfully 
cheap. 

In  due  course  our  steamboat  trip  up  the  "Father  of 
Waters"  ended  at  Cairo.  Illinois  where  we  disembarked. 
Much  of  our  three  year's  service  had  been  contiguous  to 
this  great  river  and  many  were  the  times  that  we  had 
had  occasion  to  go  aboard  a  steamboat  and  make  a  trip 
on  its  surface.  A  trip  that  was  never  without  danger 
for  from  the  river  banks  both  cannon  ball  and  musket 
shot  were  at  any  moment  liable  to  greet  the  passing 
"Yankee"  craft.     So  relatively  frequent  were  these  at- 


8  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

tacks  that  scarcely  a  boat  could  be  seen  south  of  St.  Louis 
that  did  not  bear  the  marks  of  the  enemy 's  missiles.  Our 
river  trip  from  New  Orleans  to  Cairo,  at  the  end  of 
the  war  was  peculiar  in  the  fact  that  we  felt  secure  from 
attack.  Arrived  at  Cairo  we  gladly  boarded  a  train  of 
stock  cars  which  after  about  eighteen  hours  landed  us  at 
Decatur,  Illinois,  where  we  transferred  to  the  Wabash 
Railway  and  in  due  time  reached  Camp  Butler  where 
three  years  before  we  had  been  mustered  in  the  service 
and  from  which  we  started  for  the  enemy's  country. 
After  a  few  day 's  stay  at  Camp  Butler  we  were  mustered 
out  of  the  service,  received  our  pay  and  all  went  to  their 
Illinois  homes  as  once-more  citizens.  To  me,  and  no 
doubt  to  my  comrades,  the  sensation  of  being  a  civilian 
with  the  privilege  to  go  when  and  where  one  pleased 
seemed  strange  and  almost  unnatural. 

One  day  not  long  after  reaching  home,  a  letter  came 
from  a  physician  who  had  served  as  one  of  the  Assistant 
Surgeons  of  my  Regiment,  the  130th  Illinois  Infantry 
Volunteers,  and  with  whom  I  had  had  daily  association 
during  my  service  as  Hospital  Steward,  offering  me  a 
position  as  clerk  in  a  drug  store  he  had  just  purchased. 
I  unhesitatingly  accepted  the  offer  and  in  a  short  time 
boarded  a  train  for  Flora,  Illinois  where  my  contem- 
plated employer  had  his  home.  Arrived  at  my  destina- 
tion I  found  the  prospect  far  from  inviting.  To  make  a 
long  story  short  I  found  the  drug  store  very  small,  the 
stock  badly  run  down  and  its  patronage  discouragingly 
Light.  However,  I  decided  to  try  and  make  the  best  of 
a  discouraging  situation.  Later  discovering  that  I  had 
a  good  deal  of  spare  time  I  devoted  part  of  this  to  the 
study  of  drugs  and  their  various  uses  aided  by  such 
works  as  the  U.  S.  Dispensatory,  Fownes'  Chemistry, 
Parish's  Pharmacy,  etc.  I  slept  in  the  store;  supplied 
with  quilts  and  blankets  I  made  on  the  counter  as  good 
a  bed  as  I  cared  for.     The  remembrance  of  my  army 


From  War  to  Peace  9 

sleeping  experiences  made  my  quilts  and  blankets  spread 
on  the  counter  seem  like  a  "downy-bed-of-ease"  by  com- 
parison. 

With  the  approach  of  spring  it  became  apparent  that 
my  employer  was  playing  a  losing  game  and  that  his  in- 
come would  no  longer  justify  him  in  keeping  me  in  his 
employ  on  a  salarj^  that  would  justify  my  remaining. 
Accordingly  I  bade  good  bye  to  Flora  and  went  back  to 
my  mother's  home  in  my  native  County  of  Bond  and 
near  Greenville,  Illinois.  Here  I  found  my  brother 
busy  and  intent  on  his  farming  operations  and  in  which 
he  offered  me  a  very  liberal  partnership.  Having  noth- 
ing better  in  sight  I  promptly  accepted  my  brother's 
offer  and  spent  the  remaining  spring  months,  the  sum- 
mer season  and  the  following  September  in  the  strenu- 
ous farm  life  of  that  period.  However,  this  was  in 
realitj^  going  back  to  a  life  in  which  I  had  in  large 
measure  grown  up.  For  although  previous  to  joining 
the  Army  in  mj^  nineteenth  year,  I  had  spent  most  of  my 
winter  months  in  school,  since  I  had  been  able  to  reach. 
the  plow  handles,  in  the  warmer  months  my  time  was 
devoted  to  farm  work.  This  being  true  I  all  the  more 
intelligently  in  that  season  of  1866  once  more  took  up 
farming.  However,  this  proved  to  be  exceptionally 
strenuous  and  necessitated  stirring  early  and  late  to  meet 
the  exigencies  of  the  situation. 

As  matters  turned  out  the  season  of  1866  proved  to 
be  exceptionally  fruitful  and  yielded  abundant  crops  of 
all  kinds  including  malaria  in  all  its  forms.  Malarial 
fever  began  to  prevail  in  July  and  continued  till  the  ap- 
pearance of  heavy  frost,  in  other  words  during  the  life 
time  of  the  anopheles  mosquito,  but  of  this  insect's  part 
in  purveying  malaria  the  most  learned  physician  as  yet 
knew  nothing.  One  prevalent  form  of  malaria  in  that 
day  was  "bilious  fever,"  so  named  because  in  the  early 
stages  of  the  attack  there  was  persistent  vomiting  of  bile. 


10  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

During  that  season  (1866)  I  was  a  sufferer  from  malaria 
in  more  than  one  variet5^  First  I  was  stricken  with  bil- 
ious fever  and  before  I  had  recovered  my  health  was  at- 
tacked with  a  chill  on  alternate  days.  One  of  these  attacks 
my  folks  always  insisted  was  the  much  talked  of  and 
much  dreaded  "congestive  chill."  Whatever  the  nature 
of  the  chill  I  soon  became  drowsy,  so  drowsy  in  fact  that 
my  folks  thought  I  was  passing  into  the  ' '  eternal  sleep. 
Well,  however  near  may  have  been  the  "King  of 
Terrors"  I  was  most  comfortably  unconscious  of  any 
danger  whatsoever. 

But  whatever  may  have  been  the  nature  of  my  at- 
tack I  rallied  and  was  myself  in  due  time  though  weak 
and  anemic.  It  was  the  long  hours,  the  slavish  work,  the 
severe  attacks  of  malaria,  or  all  combined,  that  to  a  de- 
gree unsettled  me  and  finally  brought  me  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  life  of  a  farmer  was  not  altogether  to 
my  liking.  Then  too,  my  old  love  for  books  and  study 
asserted  itself  and  created  an  urge  that  in  the  end  I 
could  not  resist.  The  result  was  that  I  one  day  sat  down 
and  wrote  to  several  medical  schools  for  catalogs  and 
upon  receiving  these  and  comparing  them  decided  to 
take  the  course  of  lectures  offered  in  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan. 

After  some  needed  preliminary  arrangements  I,  one 
beautiful  morning  in  early  October,  boarded  a  train  for 
the  University  of  Michigan  by  the  way  of  Chicago. 
Reaching  the  latter  place  I  put  up  at  the  Adams  House 
where  by  appointment  I  met  a  friend  with  whom  I  next 
day  visited  the  State  Fair  located  in  the  southern  out- 
skirts of  the  city.  In  one  of  the  sideshows  the  world- 
famous  Siamese  twins  were  on  exhibition  and  I  paid  the 
price  of  admission  and  went  in  to  see  them.  They  were 
both  of  the  male  sex,  in  the  truest  sense  brothers  and  the 
fleshy  band  that  literally  tied  them  together  was  about 
three  inches  in  diameter,  some  fifteen  inches  in  length 


From  War  to  Peace  11 

and  extended  from  the  base  of  one  twin's  breast  bone  to 
a  corresponding  point  on  the  body  of  his  brother.  They 
were  of  the  Chinese  race,  were  in  middle  life  and  their 
chaperon  avowed  that  they  each  had  a  living  wife.  He 
also  said  that  upon  reaching  maturity  they  were  de- 
sirous of  being  separated  and  with  this  object  in  view 
consulted  several  eminent  surgeons  who  were  unanimous 
in  advising  against  an  attempt  at  separation  as  it  was 
thought  that  important  nerves  and  large  blood  vessels 
passed  through  the  band  of  connection. 

I  passed  a  busy  day  of  sight-seeing,  returned  to 
my  hotel  for  supper  and  about  9  p.  m.  went  to  the 
old  ramshackle  structure  at  the  head  of  Randolph 
Street  which  housed  the  Illinois  Central  and  Michi- 
gan Central  Railways  and  boarded  a  train  on  the 
last  named  for  Ann  Arbor,  the  seat  of  Michigan 
University.  In  that  period  sleeping  cars  had  not  come 
in  general  use  and  had  there  been  one  on  my  train  the 
state  of  my  finances  would  not  have  justified  me  in  oc- 
cupying a  berth  in  it.  As  it  was  I  arrived  at  Ann  Arbor 
about  9  A.  M.,  after  a  sleepless  night,  tired  and  hungry 
and  found  that  a  large  number  of  students  who  had  ar- 
rived earlier  had  stripped  all  the  eating  places  of  food, 
consequently  I  reluctantly  fasted  till  the  noon  hour. 
However,  tired  and  hungry  as  I  was  I  put  in  the  inter- 
vening hours  visiting  the  college  campus  and  the  office 
of  the  Registrar  to  learn  something  of  what  was  before 
me. 


II 


IN  AND  ABOUT  THE  MEDICAL  AMPHITHEATER 

By  medicine  may  life  he  prolonged, 
Yet  death  vnll  claim  the  doctor  too. 

Shakespeare. 

WITH  a  prudent  desire  to  hold  expenditures  within 
^  bounds  I  made  some  inquiries  relative  to  costs  and 
learned  that  as  a  non-resident  of  Michigan  I  would  have 
to  ' '  put-up ' '  ten  dollars !  Think  of  it !  Ten  dollars  for 
the  privilege  of  attending  a  six-months  course  of  lectures, 
given  by  one  of  the  ablest  faculties  in  the  country !  Had 
I  been  a  native  of  the  state  I  should  have  gone  "Scott- 
free!" 

Later  I  went  to  the  Medical  Building  for  the  purpose 
of  matriculating  and  where  a  blank  was  handed  me  by 
Professor  Douglas  to  fill  out.  This  included  such  com- 
mon-place questions  as  my  name,  place  of  residence,  and 
date  and  place  of  birth,  all  of  which  were  duly  answered. 
But  when  I  reached  the  last  query,  namely,  the  name  of 
the  Institution  from  which  I  had  received  my  prelimi- 
nary education  I  was  a  little  embarrassed.  Professor 
Douglas  who  passed  on  these  questions,  looked  stern  and 
uncompromising;  but  finally  I  "got  my  nerve"  and 
wrote  in  its  proper  place,  Pocahontas  Academy.  Poca- 
hontas Academy  of  Pocahontas,  Bond  County,  Illinois, 
was  started  under  that  name  more  than  two  generations 
ago,  but  with  the  coming  of  "free"  schools  in  the  mid- 
fifties  was  merged  in  the  local  district  school  and  it  was 
there  I  had  acquired  my  knowledge  of  the,  supposedly, 
essential  three  R's,  to  which  was  most  fortunately  added 
a  little  smattering  of  Latin,  chemistry,  physics,  algebra, 
geometry,  etc.     Those  higher  branches  were  taught  in 

12 


In  and  About  the  Medical  Ampitheatre  13 

this  village,  or  district  school,  in  the  building  previously- 
known  as  an  Academy,  and  indeed  long  retaining  that 
designation,  so  that  at  the  very  worst  it  was  a  very  white 
lie  that  I  told  when  I  gave  Pocahontas  Academy  as  the 
Institution  in  which  I  had  been  educated  and  claimed  as 
my  "Alma  Mater."  *(See  "lUinois  in  the  Fifties"  by 
the  author). 

Having  completed  the  filling  out  of  the  blank  I 
handed  it  back  to  Professor  Douglas,  who  looked  it  over 
without  comment  and  gave  me  seat  numbers  in  the  two 
amphitheaters,  where  the  entire  six-months  of  medical 
instruction  was  to  be  given. 

This  much  accomplished,  I  was  made  to  realize  that 
I  had  crossed  the  threshold  of  one  of  the  most  important 
Departments  of  the  great  University  of  Michigan,  then 
as  now  one  of  the  most  particular  institutions  in  the 
country  relative  to  the  character  and  attainments  of  its 
students.  But  the  reader  must  bear  in  mind  that  the 
above  experience  dates  back  to  October  1866 — in  the 
Civil  War  Era. 

If  I  remember  correctly  I  became  a  full-fledged  Medi- 
cal Student  on  a  Saturday,  and  as  lectures  were  not  to 
begin  tiU  the  following  Monday  I  spent  some  hours  look- 
ing over  the  Medical  College  Building,  which  was  a  two- 
story  structure  with  a  large  basement.  There  were 
double  doors  on  the  north  and  through  these  the  students 
passed,  and  turning  either  to  the  right  or  left,  found  an 
enclosed,  narrow  stairway  that  led  to  the  second  floor, 
where  was  the  lower  amphitheater  from  whose  rostrum 
were  to  be  given  lectures  on  Practice,  Materia  Medica, 
Obstetrics,  Gynecology,  Chemistry,  etc.  As  I  recall  there 
were  no  chairs  for  the  students,  but  long  circular,  and 
not  uncomfortable,  seats  rising  one  above  another  in 
regular  amphitheater  style. 

Next  to  two  of  the  outside  walls  were  narrow,  en- 
closed stairways,  that  led  from  the  rear  of  the  lower 


14  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

amphitheater  to  the  one  above.  This  was  arranged  very 
much  like  the  one  below,  and  in  it  the  lectures  on  Sur- 
gery and  those  on  Anatomy  and  Physiology  were  always 
given.  For  the  anatomical  lectures  a  cadaver  was  nearly 
always  in  evidence  and  was  conveniently  placed  on  a 
revolving  table  in  the  center  of  the  rostrum.  The  few 
surgical  operations  that  the  contiguous  rural  population 
supplied  were  always  performed  in  this,  the  upper  am- 
phitheater. 

In  each  of  the  amphitheaters,  if  my  memory  serves 
me  well,  was  a  small  projecting  stage  or  platform  facing 
the  seats.  This  we  were  told  was  for  the  janitor  to  come 
out  upon  from  time  to  time  and  make  a  record  of  such 
seats  as  were  not  occupied.  As  all  the  seats  were  num- 
bered this  was  well  calculated  to  keep  "tab"  on  each 
student 's  attendance.  But  as  matters  turned  out  I  never 
saw  our  monitor  on  either  of  these  stages  but  once — a 
tribute,  no  doubt,  to  faithful  attendance  upon  the  part 
of  the  medical  student  body  during  the  winter  of  1866-7. 

Opening  out  of  each  of  the  amphitheaters  were  the 
usual  Professor's  rooms  and  such  other  apartments  as 
their  needs  called  for.  One  large  room  in  the  building 
was  devoted  to  anatomical  preparations  and  pathologi- 
cal specimens.  And  here  I  saw  for  the  first  time,  with 
not  a  little  loathing,  French  preparations  in  wax,  repre- 
enting  among  other  things  the  ravages  of  both  the  big 
and  small-pox. 

Not  far  from  the  Medical  College  Building  was  a  one- 
story  structure,  medium  in  size,  that  housed  the  Chemi- 
cal Department  of  the  University  of  Michigan ;  and  which 
was  said  to  be  the  most  complete  in  its  way  of  anything 
in  the  country.  Each  medical  student  before  gradua- 
tion, was  required  to  do  a  given  amount  of  work  in  the 
Chemical  Laboratory. 

As  noted  before,  the  Medical  College  Building  was 
located  near  the  south-west  corner  of  the  Campus  and 


In  and  About  the  Medical  Ampitheatre  15 

leading  from  it  and  extending  in  a  diagonal  course  to  a 
gate  near  the  north-east  corner,  was  a  walk  which  I  was 
destined  to  pass  over  not  less  than  four  times  each  lec- 
ture day.  On  each  side  of  this  walk  was  a  row  of  trees, 
as  yet  mere  saplings,  and  as  the  few  college  buildings 
were  confined  to  the  northern  and  southern  limits  of  the 
Campus,  I  often,  during  the  winter,  found  my  way 
across  what  was  little  more,  (or  a  little  less)  than  a  wind- 
swept area.* 

Ha\'ing  thus  matriculated,  registered  as  a  student  in 
the  Medical  Department  and  looked  over  the  several 
localities  about  which  mj^  winter's  work  would  center,  I 
imagine  that  I  felt  much  as  does  the  Man-of- War's  Man, 
when  the  deck  is  cleared  for  action  with  the  enemy 
in  the  offing.  In  other  words,  I  believed  I  had  gotten 
everything  out  of  the  way  that  could  in  any  degree  mar 
the  measurably  intelligent  state  of  mind  with  which  I 
hoped  to  begin  attendance  upon  the  forthcoming  course 
of  medical  lectures. 

The  introductory  lecture  of  the  course  was  given  by 
Professor  Douglas  of  the  Chair  of  Chemistry.  I  cannot 
recall  any  fact  connected  with  this  lecture  save  the 
kindling  of  the  speaker's  eyes  when,  with  no  little  em- 
phasis he  referred  to  the  fact  that  no  less  than  525  stu- 
dents had  recorded  their  names  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  Universityof  Michigan,  which  made  it  "The 
largest  class  that  had  ever  been  assembled  on  the  Ameri- 
can Continent."  And  will  the  reader  believe  it,  to  teach 
this  more  than  one-half  of  a  thousand  young  men  there 
were  just  six  full  Professors,  one  Assistant  Professor  and 
one  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy !  Today  it  is  a  poor  medi- 
cal school,  indeed,  that  has  not  a  corps  of  at  least  one 
hundred  professors  and  instructors!  In  fact,  many  of 
them  have  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
teachers  of  one  kind  and  another.     In  the  old  days  one 

*  Fifty  years  later  I  visited  this  same  campus  to  find  it  literally 
studded  with  college  buildings. — Author. 


16  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

man  would  give  instruction  in  two  or  more  branches ;  to- 
day three  or  four  men  divide  one  branch  between  them. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  place  better  than  this  to  give  the 
personnel  of  the  medical  faculty  of  the  University  of 
Michigan  as  it  existed  in  1866-7. 

Abram  Sager,  a.  M.,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Obstetrics 
and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children, 

Silas  H.  Douglas,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Phar- 
macology, Chemistry  and  Toxicology. 

Moses  Gunn,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Surgery. 

Alonzo  B.  Palmer,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Path- 
ology, the  Practice  of  Medicine  and  Hygiene. 

Cordydon  L.  Ford,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Anato- 
my and  Physiology. 

Samuel  6.  Armor,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Insti- 
tutes of  Medicine  and  Materia  Medica. 

Albert  H.  Prescott,  M.  D.,  Assistant  Professor  of 
Chemistry  and  Lecturer  on  Organic  Chemistry. 

William  Lewitt,  M.  D.,  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy. 

Six  full-fledged  Professors;  one  Assistant  Professor, 
and  one  Assistant  (or  demonstrator),  whose  duty  it  was 
to  demonstrate  Anatomy!  Such  was  the  equipment  of 
one  of  the  highest-class  and  most  up-to-date  Medical 
Schools  of  sixty  years  ago. 

Here  a  few  facts  relative  to  the  personnel  of  our 
teachers  at  Ann  Arbor  may  not  be  out  of  place. 

Dr.  Abram  Sager,  the  first  man  on  the  list,  was  a  very 
scholarly  man,  but  if  the  truth  must  be  told,  an  un- 
interesting lecturer.  He  was  tall,  slender,  was  always 
genteelly  dressed,  never  in  any  particular  violating  the 
proprieties  in  word,  deed  or  implication.  In  other 
words,  he  was  a  perfect  gentleman,  but  seemed  to  live 
within  himself  and  was  not  one  who  could  get  close  to 
and  become  popular  with  the  students. 

Professor  Douglas,  who  taught  us  most  of  our 
Chemistry,  was  a  man  of  sturdy  build,  had  very  dark 


In  and  About  the  Medical.  Ampitheatre         17 

complexion,  coal  black  eyes,  and  the  blackest  of  black 
hair.  He  was  a  forceful  speaker  and  managed  to  make 
the  usually  dry  subject  of  Chemistry,  interesting.  The 
revelations  of  the  solar  spectrum  were  then  a  new  thing, 
and  to  these.  Professor  Douglas  not  unfrequently  re- 
ferred and  always  in  an  interesting  and  sometimes, 
striking  manner. 

Dr.  Moses  Gunn  who  taught  us  Surgery  and  upon 
Wednesday  and  Saturdays  operated  in  the  Amphi- 
theater was  a  gifted  man  and  most  excellent  teacher. 
He  was  a  skillful  operator  and  used  the  knife  with  a 
dexterity  little  short  of  a  juggler.  He  was  furthermore 
an  ambidexter,  that  is  could  use  the  knife  in  either  hand 
and  was  never  happier  than  when  performing  the  most 
difiScult  and  complicated  operation.  The  late  Dr.  J.  B. 
Murphy,  the  famous  Chicago  surgeon,  told  me  one  day 
that  Dr.  Gunn  was  the  most  skillful  operator  he  ever  saw 
use  the  knife.  In  the  lecture  Amphitheater  Dr.  Gunn 
sometimes  appeared  a  little  pompous  and  autocratic,  but 
socially  he  was  one  of  the  most  agreeable  gentlemen  one 
could  meet.  Dr.  Gunn  always  spoke  to  the  point.  How- 
ever, one  of  his  definitions  was  a  possible  exception  and 
was  as  follows,  "Pus  is  dead  blastema."  As  it  was  be- 
fore the  era  of  the  germ  theory  of  disease,  it  is  no  re- 
flection on  the  intelligence  of  the  profession  of  that  day 
to  say  that  no  one  knew  the  true  nature  of  pus  and  Dr. 
Gunn's  definition  was  in  no  sense  enlightening.  Blas- 
tema is  defined  to  be  formative  or  embryonic  tissue,  and 
why  Dr.  Gunn  should  have  regarded  this  when  in  a  life- 
less condition  as  the  sole  and  only  source,  or  rather  the 
very  essence,  of  pus  is  hard  to  understand. 

Dr.  Alonzo  B,  Palmer  was  in  the  prime  of  mature 
manhood  and  always  came  in  the  Amphitheater  immacu- 
lately dressed.  In  the  delivery  of  his  lectures  he  had  a 
very  earnest  manner  and  seemed  especially  well  versed 
in  Practice  and  Pathology.     During  the  course  there 


18  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

never  failed  to  be  an  annual  tilt  over  Dr.  Gunn  's  defini- 
tion of  pus.  Dr.  Palmer  would  severely  criticize  this 
and  in  its  place  offer  a  definition  of  his  own,  but  this  was 
so  diffuse  that  it  was  lost  on  most  of  the' students;  while 
Dr.  Gunn's,  "Pus  is  dead  blastema,"  to  say  the  least, 
had  the  merit  of  conciseness. 

Dr.  Corydon  L.  Ford  who  taught  us  our  Anatomy 
and  Physiology  was  in  a  class  by  himself.  He  could  pick 
up  a  dry  bone  and  in  three  minutes  have  hundreds  of 
wide-eyed,  open-mouther  hearers  intently  attentive  lest 
they  would  miss  a  word,  such  was  his  power  over  an 
audience.  Dr.  Ford  had  the  happy  faculty  of  telling 
just  enough  about  the  subject  he  had  in  hand  to  interest 
and  fix  the  attention  of  his  listeners.  His  admirers 
claimed  for  him  the  distinction  of  being  the  best  lecturer 
on  Anatomy  in  the  world,  and  so  far  as  I  know,  no  one 
ever  came  forward  to  dispute  the  claim.  When  a  child. 
Dr.  Ford  had  been  the  victim  of  hip- joint  disease  and 
this  left  him  with  one  leg  shorter  than  the  other,  conse- 
quently he  wore  a  very  high-heeled  shoe  and  used  a  cane 
in  walking.  In  delivering  his  lecture  he  would  grow 
weary  of  standing,  and  to  rest  his  tired  limb  he  would 
frequently  lean  against,  or  even  sit  on,  the  edge  of  the 
table  that  always  stood  in  the  center  of  the  arena.  At 
the  best  he  invariably  came  in  the  lecture  room  limping 
and  leaning  heavily  on  his  cane.  But  so  fond  were  the 
students  of  him  that  his  very  infirmities  came  to  be  al-, 
most  admired.  He  moreover,  had  the  profound  respect 
of  all  and  no  one  would  dare  take  any  liberties  with  him. 
It  was  the  custom  to  hand  down  questions  and  some  of 
these  were  at  times  the  reverse  of  respectful,  but  none 
of  this  class  were  ever  put  in  Dr.  Ford's  hands  to  be 
answered  by  him.  All  his  time  Avas  devoted  to  lecturing 
and  besides  Ann  Arbor  he  delivered  each  year,  a  course 
at  Long  Island,  N.  Y.  and  one  at  Berkshire  College, 
Vermont. 


In  and  About  the  Medical  Ampitheatre  19 

In  describing  a  muscle,  nerve,  blood  vessel  or  other 
part  of  the  cadaver,  he  would  place  the  handle  of  his 
scalpel  on  the  object  he  would  desire  us  to  see,  and  then 
turning  to  his  listeners  and  scanning  them  closely  he 
would  pronounce  the  words,  "Knife  on  it." 

Once  while  Dr.  Ford  was  lecturing  there  was  some 
kind  of  a  noise  from  somewhere  among  the  students  in 
the  Amphitheater;  the  speaker  instantly  stopped  and 
such  a  look  as  he  cast  in  the  direction  from  which  it  came, 
with  his  steel-gray  eyes  I  shall  never  forget.  Instantly 
there  was  silence  that  w^as  almost  painful  and  you  could 
have  almost  heard  the  fall  of  a  pin. 

Dr.  Samuel  G.  Armor,  Professor  of  Institutes  of 
Medicine  and  Materia  Mediea,  was  of  the  intellectual 
type.  He  was  tall,  finely  formed,  had  a  high  forehead 
and  was  dignified  in  manner  and  made  the  impression  of 
being  one  of  Nature's  Noblemen.  He  furthermore,  had 
a  fine  voice,  spoke  with  deliberation,  always  had  his  sub- 
ject well  in  hand  and  never  failed  to  be  listened  to  at- 
tentively. Dr.  Armor  had  the  literary  instinct  and  some- 
times deftly  sandwiched  in  some  bright  saying  or  apt  ex- 
pression outside  the  usually  dry  and  matter-of-fact 
medical  field.  Moreover,  on  occasions  he  could  wax 
eloquent  on  his  omti  account.  Once  when  I  knew  his  next 
topic  would  be  Stramonium,  I  luckily  found  a  dried 
seed-pod  of  the  plant  (commonly  known  as  Jimson  weed) 
and  this  I  placed  on  the  table  by  the  side  of  which  Dr. 
Armor  stood  while  lecturing.  Coming  in  to  the  Amphi- 
theater a  little  later  his  eyes  sparkled  as  he  noticed  the 
simple  specimen.  His  lecture  had  not  proceeded  far 
when  in  kindly  voice  he  said,  ' '  Some  gentleman  has  most 
obligingly  furnished  us  a  specimen  of  the  seed-pod  of 
the  plant  we  are  considering  today."  Simple  and  com- 
mon-place as  was  the  whole  proceeding  it  served  to  show 
that  he  was  a  true  gentleman  at  heart  and  furthermore 
that  he  had  been  country-raised. 


20  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Dr.  Albert  H.  Prescott,  Assistant  Professor  of  Chem- 
istry and  Lecturer  on  Organic  Chemistry  was  then  quite 
a  young  man,  but  was  considered  very  promising.  Or- 
ganic Chemistry  in  that  period  was  a  relatively  new 
science.  Dr.  Prescott  was  a  lame  man  and  always  walked 
with  a  crutch  under  one  arm. 

Dr.  William  Lewitt,  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy,  was 
a  suave  gentleman,  medium  in  stature  always  dressed  in 
a  neat  business  suit,  and  was  at  all  times  helpful  and 
obliging  to  students. 

So  much  for  the  faculty  of  one  of  the  most  progres- 
sive and  up-to-date  medical  schools  of  sixty  years  ago. 
Six  full-fledged  professors  and  two  assistants!  Today, 
as  observed  before,  a  second-rate  medical  school  num- 
ber its  teachers  and  instructors  in  scores  and  scores — 
nay  in  hundreds. 


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CoRYDOx  L.  Ford 


Samuel  G.  Arjior 


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Ill 


SOME  PEOPLE  AND  SOME  THINGS 

Beyond  the  poeVs  sweetest  dream, 
Lives  the  eternal  epic  of  the  man. 

Selected. 

MY  new  boarding  place  was  in  a  gothic  cottage,  one 
and  one-half  stories  in  height,  painted  yellow,  sur- 
rounded with  large  grounds  and  located  well  back  from 
the  street.  Its  occupants  and  owners  were  Dr.  P.  and 
his  wife — the  former  a  real  gentleman ;  the  latter  a  real 
lady. 

A  not-very-well  lighted  and  winding  stairway  led  to 
the  room,  which  was  destined  to  be  my  home  during  my 
stay  in  Michigan  and  which  was  already  occupied  by 
one,  who  was  about  to  become  my  room-mate,  no  less  than 
my  classmate  in  the  medical  college.  My  first  view  of 
this  young  man  did  not  leave  a  good  impression.  He 
was  tall,  raw-boned,  brusk  in  manner,  plain,  and  almost 
slovenly  in  dress  and  unattractive  in  bearing  and  man- 
ner generally.  But  I  soon  discovered  him  to  be  a  real 
diamond  in  the  rough,  thoughtful,  deliberate  and  pos- 
sessed of  a  large  stock  of  mother-wit.  Somewhere  in  the 
woods  of  Michigan  he  had  taught  school,  and  after  I  had 
known  him  for  a  while  I  felt  confident  that  he  knew  what 
he  was  teaching  and  why  he  was  teaching  it.  The  name 
of  my  room-mate,  during  the  winter  of  1866-7,  was  Tyler 
Hull,  and  since  that  day  in  March,  1867,  when  we  parted 
company  we  have  not  met,  but  I  can  but  think  that  some- 
where and  somehow  he  has  "made  good."  Later  I 
learned  that  in  mature  life  he  represented  his  State  in 
the  legislature  where  I  feel  sure  his  unswerving  devotion 
to  right,  and  his  good  sense  and  sound  judgment,  could 

21 


22  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

not  fail  to  make  him  a  useful,  though  the  farthest  possi- 
ble from  a  showy,  member. 

My  landlord,  Dr.  P.  in  addition  to  being  a  graduate 
in  medicine,  was  a  classical  scholar,  widely  read  and  an 
all-around  man  of  culture.  He  was,  moreover,  fair- 
minded — a  true  specimen  of  that  vara  avis,  a  just  man, 
and  finally,  he  was  kindly  disposed  to  everyone, — ^to  the 
common  man  no  less  than  to  his  more  exalted  neighbor. 

Dr.  P.  's  wife,  my  landlady,  was  what  might  be  called 
something  of  a  "blue-stocking,"  for  she  was  one  of  the 
most  constant  readers  I  have  ever  known,  and,  for  the 
most  part,  of  fiction  of  the  highest  class.  However,  she 
did  not  allow  her  devotion  to  good  authors  to,  in  any 
way,  interfere  with  her  domestic  duties,  for  she  was  a 
good  housekeeper  and  managed  her  household  with  in- 
dustry and  ability.  She  was  a  loyal  member  of  the 
Episcopal  church  and  sometimes  she  invited  me  to  ac- 
company her  to  services — an  invitation  I  was  always  glad 
to  accept,  for  I  realized  my  need  of  coming  in  touch  with 
real  ladies  of  her  kind.  Indeed,  acceptance  of  these  oc- 
casional invitations,  to  which,  doubtless,  Mrs.  P.  gave 
only  a  passing  thought,  were  real  opportunities  to  me, 
an  awkward,  callow  youth. 

Unfortunately  for  her  comfort,  my  much  respected 
landlady  was,  upon  occasions,  the  victim  of  very  severe 
attacks  of  asthma  of  a  type  resembling  what  we  today 
call  hay-fever.  One  day  when  I  stepped  in  the  dining- 
room  I  found  Mrs.  P.  with  red,  watery  eyes  and  sneezing 
violently.  In  a  few  minutes  her  husband  came  in  the 
room  and  she  at  once  accosted  him  by  saying,  "O 
George!  Why  did  you  have  that  ipecac  in  this  room 
when  you  know  it  brings  on  my  asthma?"  Her  hus- 
band looking  guilty,  confessed  that  he  had  in  the  ad- 
joining room,  dispensed  a  little,  a  very  little,  ipecac. 

Later  Dr.  P.  told  me  that  his  wife  was  the  possessor 
of  an  idiosyncrasy,  which  rendered  her  liable  to  an  at- 


Some  Peopl,e  and  Some  Things  23 

tack  after  inhaling  the  most  minute  ipecac  emanations. 
However,  this  one  time  she  was  out  of  the  house  and  he 
had  very  unwisely,  as  it  turned  out,  ventured  on  putting 
out  for  a  patient,  three  or  four  very  small  powders  of 
ipecac  in  the  house,  but  so  marvelously  susceptible  was 
his  wife  to  this  drug  that  she  at  once  began  to  sneeze 
violently,  and  water  ran  profusely  from  her  nose  and 
eyes.  In  a  word,  the  very  minute  particles  of  ipecac 
that  escaped  from  the  powdered  drug  into  the  atmos- 
phere when  inhaled  by  Mrs.  P.,  at  once  produced  all  the 
symptoms  of  acute  coryza  with  added  difficulty  of 
breathing. 

Assisting  Mrs.  P.  in  her  household  was  a  young 
woman  who  had  a  temporary  home  in  the  family  and  at- 
tended the  Ann  Arbor  High  School.  Miss  Sarah,  for 
that  was  her  first  name,  was  a  plain,  sensible,  modest  ap- 
pearing girl,  who  had  very  little  to  say,  and  my  ac- 
quaintance with  her  went  little  beyond  the  opportunity 
of  meeting  her,  afforded  at  meals.  Although  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  practically  the  whole  of  my  associa- 
tion up  to  this  time  with  the  opposite  sex  had  been  con- 
fined to  my  sisters  and  cousins,  and  what  may  seem 
strange  to  the  reader,  I  had  never  so  much  as  asked  a 
young  woman  for  her  company.  However,  there  were 
good  reasons  for  this:  in  my  nineteenth  year  I  joined  the 
army  in  which  I  remained  three  years  and  the  year  fol- 
lowing— ^the  one  previous  to  my  coming  to  Ann  Arbor — 
I  had,  so  to  speak,  gone  from  "pillar  to  post."  Hence, 
my  dearth  of  experience  witla.  the  fair  sex.  Socially  I 
was  much  worse  than  an  unbroken  colt — I  was  as  a  full 
grown- workhorse  across  whose  back  the  harness  had  not 
so  much  as  been  thrown. 

Well,  one  day  it  dawned  on  me  that  the  time  had 
come  for  me  to  make  a  little  effort  to  remedy  this  defect 
— this  hiatus — so  to  speak — in  my  social  education.  And 
to  make  a  start,  a  real,  concrete  start,  who  could  be  of 


24  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

more  material  aid  than  Miss  Sarah?  Here  was  an  op- 
portunity— a  genuine,  tangible  opportunity.  One  day 
I  learned  that  there  was  to  be  a  college  function  of  some 
kind  in  the  evening,  so  with  no  little  effort,  I  managed 
to  muster  up  the  courage  needed  to  ask  Miss  Sarah  for 
her  company  to  this.  She  very  sanely  and  sensibly  gave 
her  consent  and  when  the  time  to  go  came,  I  went  down 
in  the  sitting  room  with  my  shawl,  (men  wore  heavy 
grey  shawls  in  that  day),  hat  and  gloves  in  my  hands. 
Very  soon  Miss  Sarah  came  in,  having  on  her  cloak  and 
hat  and  I  stepped  to  her  side  and  when  we  reached  the 
door  in  opening  this,  I  glanced  back  and  detected  a  very 
broad  smile  on  Mrs.  P.'s  face,  induced  no  doubt  by  my 
untrained  and  awkward  attempts  at  gallantry. 

Well,  when  we  got  out  of  the  door,  I  poked  my  elbow 
in  the  direction  of  Miss  Sarah  and  she  timidly  took  my 
arm  and  we  walked  to  the  place  of  meeting  and  this 
over,  she  a  little  less  timidly  again  took  my  arm  and  I, 
perhaps  a  little  less  awkwardly,  did  my  part  as  her 
escort.  Trivial  and  simple  as  was  this  evening's  experi- 
ences after  it  was  over,  I  felt  the  wiser  and  better  for 
having  attempted  it. 

What  was  Miss  Sarah's  history  subsequent  to  that 
winter  I  know  not.  She  was  a  steady  young  woman  and 
with  her  hair  combed  down  over  her  face,  as  was  then 
the  fashion,  and  in  a  green  and  black  plaid  dress,  in 
which  she  usually  appeared,  she  certainly  had  a  whole- 
some, if  not  comely  look.  I  can  but  hope  some  worthy 
man  found  in  her  a  good  wife  and  that  she  is  mayhap, 
at  this  time,  a  well-cared  for  and  happy  grandmother. 

So  much  for  the  personnel  of  my  boarding  place! 
But  to  this  house  as  a  not  unfrequent  visitor  came  the 
identical  young  man  who  first  recommended  it  to  me  and 
who  among  his  friends  was  familiarly  known  as  Joe 
Steer — later  Professor  Joseph  B.  Steer,  the  well  known 
naturalist  and  collector. 


Some  People  and  Some  Things  25 

One  day  I  was  stricken  with  a  hard  chill  and  was  in 
my  room  up  stairs  in  bed.  Meantime  Joe  Steer  hap- 
pened to  come  in  and  Mrs.  P.  thinking  maybe  he  could 
be  of  some  comfort  to  me,  suggested  that  he  come  up  to 
my  room.  In  truth,  I  wanted  anything  but  company, 
and  when  the  proposed  visitor  knocked  at  my  door,  I  fear 
the  voice  with  which  I  said,  "come  in,"  was  anything 
but  gracious.  As  he  stepped  in  the  room,  I  noticed  that 
young  Steer  had  in  his  hands  a  copy  of  the  Atlantic 
Monthly  and  after  sitting  a  short  time  he  proposed  to 
read  me  a  story.  To  this,  I  reluctantly  consented,  though 
when  its  strange  title,  namely,  "The  Man  Who  Stole  a 
Meeting-house"  was  announced,  I  began  to  feel  a  little 
interest.  The  story,  was  from  the  pen  of  the  popular 
author  J.  T.  Trowbridge,  and  proved  to  be  a  good  one 
and  when  it  was  finished  I  felt  much  better  and  warmly 
thanked  my  visitor  for  both  his  visit  and  story. 

Speaking  of  chills  and  fever,  I  will  here  state  that 
during  this  fall  and  winter  at  Ann  Arbor  and  in  the 
spring  following,  I  had  a  number  of  attacks  of  malarial 
fever  which  I  succeeded  in  breaking  up  temporarily  with 
quinine,  but  which  returned  every  few  weeks.  These  at- 
tacks were  the  sequelae  of  my  severe  malarial  troubles  in 
the  late  summer  and  early  fall  of  1866,  while  on  the 
farm,  when  doubtless  the  Plasmodium  malaria  entered 
my  system  and  for  long  months  ensconsed  itself  there  in 
relative  safety,  though  at  that  time  no  one  knew  of  its 
identity.  In  other  words,  this  organism,  had  yet  to  be 
discovered  by  the  scientist.  These  malarial  attacks  were 
in  no  small  degree  discouraging  for  they  caused  me  to 
miss  a  number  of  lectures. 

Perhaps  a  brief  reference  to  the  day 's  routine  may  in- 
terest the  reader.  We  had  every  day  six  lectures,  each 
an  hour  in  duration.  These  began  at  9  a.  m.  and  at  noon- 
time there  was  an  intermission  of  two  hours ;  and  begin- 
ning at  2  p.  M.  three  more  were  given. 


26  Sixty  Years  in  tpie  Medical  Harness 

My  boarding  place  was  about  eight  blocks  from  the 
college  campus  and  the  walk  to  and  from  lectures  af- 
forded at  least  some  exercise.  During  the  months  of 
October  and  November  these  walks  were  especially- 
pleasant,  but  sometimes  in  the  winter  months  the  cold 
was  piercing.  When  the  latter  was  the  case  we  wrapped 
our  shawls  about  us  the  closer  and  walked  the  faster. 

About  November  first  the  students  got  the  "  tip  "  that 
a  little  later  the  dissecting  rooms  would  be  opened  and 
at  our  service,  consequently,  most  of  us  were  for  some 
little  time  on  the  "tip-toe"  of  expectation,  so  to  speak. 
Meanwhile,  we  noticed  that  dray-load  after  dray-load  of 
pork  barrels  were  brought  from  the  railway  station  and 
unloaded  in  the  basement  of  the  medical  college  building. 
At  last  one  raw,  frosty  morning  the  dissecting  rooms 
were  opened,  the  heads  of  the  "pork-barrel"  knocked  in, 
revealing  in  each  one  opened,  a  subject  doubled  up  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  leave  the  breech  uppermost.  When 
a  sufficient  number  of  subjects  had  been  removed  to 
make  an  elevator  load  these  were  hoisted  to  the  third 
floor,  where  the  janitor  and  an  assistant,  each  supplied 
with  a  huge  pair  of  tongs,  grasped  the  cadaver  by  the 
head  and  heels  respectively,  carried  it  through  the  near- 
by dissecting  room  door,  and  beside  one  of  the  tables 
upon  which  it  was  uncermoniously  landed  by  a  simul- 
taneous swinging  movement  of  the  great  tongs  in  the 
hands  of  the  two  strong  men.  Scores  of  "pork-barrels" 
disgorged  their  contents,  scores  of  cadavers,  or  "stiffs," 
as  the  students  called  them,  were  hoisted  to  the  third 
story,  and  placed  upon  scores  of  dissecting  tables  about 
which  a  little  later,  scores  of  "medics"  in  their  long 
aprons  and  with  knives,  scissors  and  forceps,  gathered 
and  began  the  study  of  human  anatomy  at  first  hand,  as 
it  were. 

Dr.  Lewitt  was  the  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy  and 
before  we  were  given  the  privileges  of  the  dissecting 


Some  People  and  Some  Things  27 

room  we  had  to  go  to  his  office  and  procure  a  ticket  for 
which  we  paid  ten  dollars.  Later  we  all  met  Dr.  Lewitt 
in  the  dissecting  room  and  he  at  all  times  proved  to  be  an 
obliging  gentleman,  and  ready  and  willing  to  help  us  in 
our  anatomical  work. 

At  this  period  the  dissecting  rooms  at  Ann  Arbor 
were  said  to  be  the  largest  and  in  many  particulars,  the 
best  fitted  and  supplied  of  any  in  America.  The  only 
railway  at  Ann  Arbor  was  the  Michigan  Central  and 
upon  this  the  cadavers  all  came  to  Ann  Arbor  after  hav- 
ing the  legs  flexed  upon  the  trunk  and  put  in  pork 
barrels  with  the  head  and  extremities  in  the  bottom. 
Next  the  top  of  the  barrel  was  securely  nailed  in  place 
and  kept  there  by  tightly  driven  hoops ;  and  finally  each 
container  with  its  contents,  thus  carefully  secured,  was 
addressed  to  ' '  John  Smith,  U.  of  M.,  Ann  Arbor,  Michi- 
gan, ' '  Substantially  all  the  cadavers  came  from  near-by 
large  cities,  such  as  Chicago,  Detroit,  etc.  In  that  period 
there  were  no  anatomical  laws  like  those  we  have  today, 
permitting  the  unclaimed  bodies  of  those  who  died  in  hos- 
pitals and  other  public  institutions  to  be  used  for 
anatomical  purposes.  Where  the  bodies  came  from 
which  were  directed  to  "John  Smith,"  and  how  they 
were  procured,  was  an  unanswered  query  to  all  of  us 
students,  and  a  sort  of  state  secret  known  only  to  the 
elect.  However,  come  from  whence  they  might,  it  was 
clearly  apparent  that  some  of  them  came  from  the  higher 
walks  of  life.  Compared  with  subjects  I  later  saw  in 
other  medical  schools,  those  at  Ann  Arbor  presented  an 
unusual  number  in  good  flesh,  and  exddently  not  wasted 
by  disease.  I  recall  that  when  a  certain  subject  was 
brought  in  and  put  on  the  dissecting  table,  a  student  of 
the  loud-mouthed  class,  called  out,  "Say,  that  fellow 
looks  like  he  was  killed  last  night" — and  really  all  ap- 
pearances pointed  to  the  fact  of  a  very  recent  death.  One 
could  not  help  being  struck  with  some  of  the  bodies  on 


28  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

the  dissecting  tables — those  of  noble  looking  men  and 
beautiful  women.  Some  of  the  former  had  high  fore- 
heads and  fine,  manly  features;  and  some  of  the  latter 
beautiful  and  almost  classic  faces  and  shapely  heads  from 
which  extended  a  luxuriant  growth  of  hair.  Of  course 
there  were  some  cadavers  thin  and  badly  wasted  and 
some  with  their  lungs  stuffed  with  tubercles,  but  the  last 
named  were  dissected  and  handled  with  no  precautions 
whatever,  as  no  one  in  that  day  so  much  as  thought  of  the 
communicability  of  tuberculosis.  Thus  the  dissecting 
room  presented  a  study  to  the  more  observing  and  upon 
its  tables  were  representatives  of  all  ages,  all  classes,  all 
colors,  all  conditions.  Some  old  and  wasted  by  senility, 
some  in  youth,  some  evidently  from  the  higher  walks  of 
life,  some  black,  some  yellow,  some  so  thin  that  they  were 
but  skeletons,  and  some  so  robust  that  it  required  little 
effort  to  imagine  them  alive  yesterday,  and  about  the 
streets  in  all  the  joy,  pride  and  vigor  of  life. 

Any  reference  to  the  Medical  College  at  Ann  Arbor 
in  the  long  ago  that  does  not  take  note  of  Neglie,  the 
always  faithful  janitor,  would  certainly  be  lacking  in  one 
most  interesting  character.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  he  was 
a  Scotchman  and  although  uneducated,  yet  he  was  well 
versed  in  anatomy  and  could  call  the  technical  names  of 
substantially  all  the  muscles,  nerves,  vessels,  bones  and 
viscera.  Many  times  we  tested  him  and  I  recall  my  won- 
der at  his  uniformally  correct  answers.  Neglie  is  long 
since  dead,  and  I  can  but  wish  that  his  bones  are  some- 
where safe  above  ground. 

My  room-mate,  he  of  the  six-feet  stature,  of  the 
sturdy  build  and  robust  character,  seemingly  of  the 
make-up  to  face  the  furies  and  withstand  almost  any  sort 
of  terror,  wilted  soon  after  his  first  visit  to  the  dissect- 
ing room  and  for  two  days  had  little  or  no  appetite  at 
the  table  and  for  two  or  three  nights,  was  wakeful  and 
had  bad  dreams.    Finally,  however,  he  managed  to  over- 


Some  People  and  Some  Things  29 

come  all  repugnance  and  industriously  and  faithfuUy 
did  his  "bit"  in  the  dissecting  room. 

As  for  myself  I  had  no  trouble  of  this  kind  whatever. 
My  three  years'  service  in  the  Civil  War  and  hospital 
experience  had  made  me  familiar  with  death  in  many 
forms  and  likewise  with  mangled  humanity  in  many 
varieties  and  in  consequence  I  had  become  hardened  to 
the  most  gruesome  sights. 

Fifty-nine  years  ago  the  University  of  Michigan  had 
no  college  hall  worthy  of  the  name  and  consequently  all 
meetings  of  any  size  were  held  in  the  body  of  a  new 
Methodist  Church  near  the  campus.  By  the  way,  1866 
was  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  Methodism  in  this 
country  and  that  denomination  celebrated  it  as  such  and 
called  it  their  centennial  year.  The  word  "centennial" 
at  that  time  was  new  and  to  most  ears  sounded  strangely. 

In  the  above-named  church  were  given  the  various 
(lay)  lectures  in  the  college  course.  And  here  let  me 
say  that  in  that  period  the  American  lecture  platform 
was  much  more  appreciated  and  relatively  much  better 
attended  than  today.  Indeed,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  the  lecture  platform  was  then  in  flower  and  there 
appeared  upon  it  such  leading  lights  as  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  Wendell  Phillips,  Frederick  Douglas,  Horace 
Greeley,  John  B.  Gough,  Anna  Dickenson,  Theodore  Til- 
ton,  etc. 

As  I  was  compelled  to  practice  the  most  rigid  econo- 
my, I  could  only  purchase  tickets  to  two  lectures  in  the 
course  and  after  due  consideration,  selected  Wendell 
Phillips  and  Horace  Greeley ;  Wendell  Phillips  was  billed 
to  speak  on  the  "Lost  Arts,"  but  when  he  came  on  the 
platform  asked  to  change  his  topic  to  "Reconstruction," 
then  a  burning  question  in  the  public  mind.  To  not  a 
few  in  the  audience  the  change  of  topic  was  a  disappoint- 
ment as  the  one  chosen  had  become  worn  and  threadbare 
in  the  public  prints.     Wendell  Phillips'  appearance  on 


30  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

the  rostrum  was  ideal.  He  was  in  the  prime  of  manhood, 
of  medium  stature,  erect,  manly  and  dignified  in  bear- 
ing; his  every  movement  graceful,  his  voice  full  and 
sonorous,  each  word  uttered  was  the  best  that  could  be 
chosen,  and  finally,  his  features  were  classical. 

Horace  Greeley 's  appearance  on  the  platform  was,  in 
many  particulars,  in  sharp  contrast  to  that  of  Wendell 
Phillips.  His  hair  and  beard  were  white,  his  skin  red 
as  a  babe's;  he  lacked  grace  and  his  voice  was  piping. 
Indeed,  his  whole  attitude  and  make-up  was  as  far  as 
possible  from  one's  ideal  of  an  orator.  Yet,  he  com- 
manded a  full  house  because  he  was  Horace  Greeley.  Peo- 
ple went  to  see,  rather  than  to  hear  him,  much  as  they 
would  go  to  see  a  Royal  Bengal  tiger  or  a  monster  ele- 
phant. Much  to  my  disappointment,  Greeley's  topic  was 
Reconstruction! 

In  that  particular  time  the  Southern  States  that  had 
seceded  were  getting  back  in  the  Union  and  just  how  this 
should  be  accomplished  was  a  most  important  question 
and  was  referred  to  under  the  general  title  of  Recon- 
struction. Andrew  Johnson  was  President  and  had  the 
misfortune  to  differ  with  the  majority  of  the  members 
of  the  National  House  and  Senate  as  to  how  this  should 
be  accomplished.  More  unfortunately  still,  he  was  lack- 
ing woefully  in  tact  in  all  he  undertook.  The  result  was 
a  serious  breech  between  the  National  Executive  and 
Legislative  branches  of  the  Government, 

One  of  the  noted  public  characters  of  the  time  was 
General  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  who  represented  a  Massa- 
chusetts district  in  Congress.  One  day  it  was  learned 
that  General  Butler  was  to  pass  through  Ann  Arbor  on 
the  train  which  would  stop  long  enough  for  a  short  talk 
from  its  famous  passenger,  consequently  the  students  in 
hundreds  went  down  to  the  railway  station  and  waited 
patiently.  In  due  time  the  train  puUed  in  and  General 
Butler  with  his  well-known  distorted  countenance,  ap- 


Some  People  and  Some  Things  31 

peared  at  the  rear  of  one  of  the  coaches,  and  made  a 
characteristic  speech,  in  which  President  Johnson  was 
soundly  berated. 

One  day,  E.  0,  Haven,  Regent  (or  President)  of  the 
Universit}',  came  in  the  amphitheater,  accompanied  by 
Theodore  Tilton,  who  had  lectured  the  night  before.  Dr. 
Gunn  was  just  nearing  the  close  of  a  lecture  on  fractures 
and  among  other  things,  spoke  of  fracture  of  the  bones 
of  the  pehds,  and  when  it  came  to  the  treatment  of  this 
trouble,  he  said,  ' '  Gentlemen,  do  that  thing  which  is  al- 
ways the  hardest  thing  for  doctors  to  do — do  nothing T' 

When  Dr.  Gunn  sat  down  there  was  an  earnest  call 
for  Theodore  Tilton,  and  in  response  he  rose  to  his  feet 
and  beside  him  an  ordinary  man  looked  like  a  pigmy  for 
he  was  full  six  feet  four  inches  in  height.  When  he  had 
looked  around  for  a  moment  he  said,  "Gentlemen,  I  am 
glad  to  have  the  privilege  of  looking  in  your  faces  and 
was  interested  in  what  Dr.  Gunn  had  to  say  and  more 
especially  by  his  telling  you  that  when  there  was  nothing 
to  do,  to  do  nothing.  I  shall  profit  by  his  suggestion  for 
having  nothing  to  say  I  will  just  say  nothing."  With 
this  apt  turn  at  paraphrasing  the  words  of  our  teacher 
he  sat  down  amid  hearty  cheers.  In  a  word  he  had  cer- 
tainly made  good  in  the  art  of  ' '  turning  a  phrase. ' ' 


IV. 

A  FEW   CHICAGO   MEDICAL   CRUMBS   PICKED 
UP    IN   1867 

We  take  the  arms  that  Heaven  supplies, 
With  life's  long  battle  ^vith  disease. 

Shakespeare. 

AT  the  close  of  the  winter  term  of  lectures  at  Ann 
,  Arbor  in  the  spring  of  1867  I  took  the  cars  for 
Chicago  where  I  had  decided  to  spend  at  least  a  part 
of  the  coming  summer  in  browsing  around  and  getting 
such  knowledge  of  medicine  as  opportunity  would  offer. 
At  this  period  there  were  but  two  medical  schools  in  that 
city,  Rush  Medical  College,  established  in  1843  and 
Chicago  Medical  College  which  had  its  beginning  in 
the  late  fifties.  After  due  enquiry  I  decided  to  attend 
the  summer  session  of  the  last  named  institution.  Hav- 
ing procured  a  room,  and  board  on  South  State  Street,  I 
had  but  fairly  got  down  to  my  studies  when  my  old  ene- 
my, chills  and  fever,  attacked  me  again.  However  I  soon 
recovered,  and  this  time  permanently.  While  I  was  in 
bed  with  this  attack  a  young  man  was  shown  in  my 
room  whose  face  seemed  familiar.  He  introduced  him- 
self by  saying  he  had  been  told  that  I  was  an  Ann  Arbor 
student,  who  had  come  to  Chicago  to  attend  a  summer 
session,  and  as  he  had  also  attended  the  course  of  lec- 
tures just  closed  at  Michigan  University,  he  had  called 
to  see  what  I  could  tell  him  about  the  opportunities 
for  medical  study  in  the  city  during  the  coming  sum- 
mer. While  the  young  man's  features  were  not  wholly 
strange  to  me  yet  the  size  of  the  class  at  Ann  Arbor 
made  it  impossible  to  make  the  personal  acquaintance 
of  all  its  members.   He  was  about  twenty-three  years  of 

32 


A  Few  Chicago  Medical  Crumbs  33 

age  and  plainly  dressed;  his  people  lived  in  northern 
Illinois  and  his  name  was  Norman  Bridge.  I  very  soon 
became  impressed  with  the  fact  that  my  caller  was 
clear  headed,  knew  what  he  desired  to  accomplish  and 
was  thoroughly  competent  to  "size  up  the  situation," 
as  the  phrase  goes.  I  told  him  what  little  I  had  found 
out  relative  to  the  possibilities  of  learning  something  of 
medicine  in  Chicago  during  the  vacation  period.  He 
listened  intently  to  all  I  had  to  say  and  before  our  in- 
terview ended  made  me  detail  every  lecture  and  clinic 
I  had  attended,  and  further  than  this,  got  from  me  so 
far  as  I  was  able,  to  give  them  the  strong  and  weak 
points  in  every  medical  teacher  I  had  been  in  contact 
with  since  coming  to  the  city. 

Before  leaving  my  room,  my  visitor  decided  to  join 
me  in  attendance  upon  the  summer  session  of  the  Chi- 
cago Medical  College  for  1867;  meanwhile  he  revealed 
enough  of  his  circumstances  and  characteristics  to  con- 
vince me  that,  in  common  with  myself,  he,  like  the 
much  quoted  boy  in  the  novel,  was  "poor  but  honest." 
This  common  state  of  depleted  pocket-books,  a  day  or 
two  later,  caused  us  to  canvass  the  situation  pretty  thor- 
oughly in  an  effort  to  get  as  cheap  living  as  could  be 
found,  and  that  at  the  same  time,  would  be  compatible 
with  tolerable  comfort. 

In  this  canvass  we  soon  enlisted  a  fellow-student  by 
the  name  of  Spohner,  and  among  other  places  we  tried 
was  a  boarding  house  on  south  State  Street,  patronized 
mainly  by  mechanics  all  of  whom  had  just  been  en- 
gaged in  a  strike  for  better  conditions  and  better  wages 
and  which  they  lost,  much  to  their  regret  and  likewise, 
ours,  for  we  were  in  full  sympathy  with  them,  for  in 
no  small  degree  we  were  working  men,  were  in  fact  from 
farms. 

At  another  time  we  got  our  meals  at  a  boarding 
house  further  down  on  State  Street,  and  kept  by  a  man 
who  had  a  number  of  buxom  daughters,  who  did  the 


34  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

cooking,  served  as  waiters  and  were  all  especially  at- 
tentive to  our  wants.  The  fact  that  we  were  all  young, 
single  men  may  not  have  been  the  cause  of  our  receiv- 
ing exceptional  attention,  but  we  were  conceited  enough 
to  think  so.  A  little  later  we  found  a  fourth  fellow- 
student,  who  turned  out  to  be  the  exact  "fellow"  we 
were  looking  for,  to  use  a  somewhat  slangy  phrase. 
During  the  previous  winter  this  young  man's  mother 
and  sister  had  kept  house  for  him  while  he  attended  the 
course  of  lectures  given  at  the  Chicago  Medical  Col- 
lege. Very  recently  they  left  the  city,  leaving  their 
brother  in  two  rooms  in  the  rear  of  a  grocery  store 
on  south  State  street  with  the  furniture,  which  consisted 
of  a  cook-stove  and  utensils,  a  dining  table,  dishes,  two 
beds,  chairs  and  a  piano !  We  very  soon  came  to  terms 
with  this  fourth  young  man,  by  we  three,  parties  of 
the  first  part,  agreeing  to  pay  three-fourths  of  the 
room  rent ;  and  he,  party  of  the  second  part,  stipulating 
to  pay  the  remaining  fourth  of  accruing  rent  and  to 
in  addition,  allow  the  beds,  stove,  cooking  uteniiils, 
tables,  chairs  and  piano  to  be  used  as  common  property. 
This  fourth  young  man  who  was  so  fortunate  as  to  se- 
cure our  company  and  whose  name  was  Morgan,  had 
a  number  of  accomplishments.  He  was  a  good  cook,  a 
skillful  dishwasher,  could  make  a  bed  and  sweep  a 
room  like  a  woman,  broil  a  beef  steak  and  make  edible 
biscuits,  fry  * 'flap- jacks, "  and  finally  played  well  on 
the  piano !  He  was,  furthermore,  a  good  student,  had 
excellent  common  sense  and  was  several  years  older 
than  Bridge  and  myself.  His  subsequent  history,  after 
our  summer's  rooming  together  is  a  a  blank  page  to  me, 
and  whether  dead  or  alive  I  cannot  say.  If  alive  I  here 
record  a  tender  of  my  greetings.  If  dead,  I  would  that 
I  could  place  a  wreath  upon  his  grave. 

Very  soon  after  we  began  living  in  our  new  quarters 
the  original  proprietor  of  the  rooms,  demonstrated  his 
fitness  for  the  position  of  "boss-cook,"  and  consequently 


A  Few  Chicago  Medical  Crumbs  35 

the  rest  of  us  were  compelled  to  show  our  willingness  to 
be  useful  mainlj'  by  taking  turns  at  washing  dishes. 
Whatever  may  have  been  our  difference  relative  to  other 
matters,  we  were  a  unit  when  it  came  to  making  an 
effort  to  live  economically.  Not  far  from  our  rooms 
there  was  at  that  time  a  slaughter  house,  and  this  we 
frequently  visited  to  get  fresh  liver  that  was  given  us 
and,  which  our  cook  fried  so  nicely  that  we  not  only 
had  it  for  breakfast,  but  for  dinner  as  well.  We  dis- 
covered that  buck-wheat  cakes  were  both  toothsome  and 
economical.  On  the  whole  we  got  along  nicely  and  soon 
settled  down  to  a  sort  of  happy  family.  Indeed,  I  re- 
call but  one  instance  of  discord ;  I  use  the  word  discord 
advisedly  and  following  is  how  it  came  about :  As  stated 
above  the  original  occupant  of  the  rooms  in  addition  to 
his  many  other  accomplishments,  played  passably  well 
on  the  piano  and  one  Sunday  afternoon  it  came  in  our 
heads  to  have  a  vocal  quartet.  In  carrying  out  this  pro- 
gram. Bridge,  to  my  ear,  made  a  discord  and  I  at  once 
accused  him  of  the  transgression.  To  this  he  pleaded 
innocence  and  I  promptly  renewed  the  charge.  He 
pleaded  innocence  a  second  time,  and  I  now  reiterated 
the  charge  in  language,  which  I  fear  was  much  more 
forcible  than  kind.  As  Bridge  scarcely  knew  one  note 
from  another,  and  as  I  knew  less,  the  matter  of  discord 
was  not  settled  then,  and  remains  unsettled  to  this  day. 
Naturally  he  did  not  enjoy  my  harsh  criticisms,  but  said 
nothing.  Meanwhile,  I  was  too  proud  to  then  or  later 
make  such  apology  as  was  certainly  due  from  me.* 

One  of  the  first  lectures  I  remember  listening  to, 
during  this  summer  course  was  one  by  Dr.  J.  S.  Jewell, 
on  the  ethmoid  bone,  a  notoriously  complex  and  much 
complicated  subject,  but  the  lecturer's  prolixity,  tedious- 
ness  and  emphasis  of  unimportant  details  were  in  strik- 
ing contrast  to  Professor  Ford's  grasp  of  essentials,  so 

•Dr.  Bridge  died  January  7,  1925. 


36  Slxty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

unmistakably  demonstrated  in  his  lectures  on  anatomy 
and  physiology,  which  I  had  listened  to  with  such  sat- 
isfaction during  the  previous  winter  at  Ann  Arbor. 
Among  others  who  gave  us  didactic  or  clinical  lectures, 
I  recall  the  names  of  Drs.  N.  S.  Davis,  Hollister,  Roller, 
Nelson,  Hosmer  A.  Johnson,  Edmund  Andrews, 
Bogue,  Holmes,  Sherman,  etc.  Some  of  the  clinical  lec- 
tures were  given  at  the  Mercy  Hospital  and  some  at  the 
Cook  County,  then  a  very  crude  frame  affair  with  di- 
lapidated surroundings  and  situated  not  a  very  great 
distance  from  what  is  today  the  business  center  of  Chi- 
cago. And  this  leads  me  to  say  that  the  Chicago  of  that 
period,  while  containing  perhaps  two  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants  was  but  a  great  struggling  and  vilely,  filthy 
village.  Many  of  the  principal  streets  were  unpaved  and 
save  in  the  important  business  and  better  residence 
districts,  the  sidewalks  were  of  boards  laid  upon  vary- 
ing grades,  so  that  the  wayfarer  had  now  to  climb  a 
flight  of  steps  and  then  to  go  down  a  run  of  stairs.  In 
front  of  the  principal  business  blocks  were  long  rows 
of  telegraph  poles,  and  overhead  a  perfect  tangle  of 
wires.  The  only  means  of  transit  were  the  omnibus 
and  horsecar.  Perhaps  I  should  qualify  this  last  state- 
ment for  upon  the  street-car  lines  in  the  outlying  dis- 
tricts one  or  more  small,  specially  constructed  steam 
locomotives,  called  "dummies,"  with  a  good  deal  of 
smoke,  cinders  and  puffing,  carried  passengers  to  their 
destinations  with  due  celerity.  I  remember  that  upon 
one  occasion  the  four  of  us  who  were  rooming  together, 
took  a  day  off  and  behind  one  of  these  * '  dummies, ' '  rode 
out  across  a  long  sweep  of  prairie  to  visit  the  Chicago 
Stock  Yards. 

When  speaking  of  our  culinary  experiences  and 
various  foragings  for  clean  food  during  this  summer  I 
neglected  to  state  that  as  spring  opened  up  we  decided 
that  a  fish  diet  might,  perhaps,  conduce  to  our  mental 
aptness,  and,  provided  it  could  be  procured  from  the 


A  Few  Chicago  Medical  Crumbs  37 

lake,  at  the  same  time  shield  our  already  greatly  atro- 
phied pocket-books.  Accordingly,  we  provided  ourselves 
with  hooks,  lines  and  poles,  procured  what  we  supposed 
was  the  proper  bait  to  lure  within  the  limits  of  possible 
capture,  the  finny  denizens  of  Lake  Michigan.  Thus 
prepared,  we  four,  time  and  again  went  to  the  margin 
of  the  lake  that  borders  South  Chicago,  seated  ourselves 
on  the  pier,  cast  our  well  baited  hooks  in  the  water  and 
patiently  waited  for  the  fish  to  bite,  but  never,  so  far 
as  I  can  remember,  did  one  of  us  get  so  much  as  a  nibble. 
When  passing  the  lake-front  on  the  Illinois  Central 
railroad  I  never  look  out  upon  the  water's  edge  that  I  do 
not  think  of  the  times  when  seated  by  my  side,  Dr. 
Norman  Bridge  was  for  the  time  another  Izaak  Walton. 
But  all  this  is  wandering,  and  it  is  time  I  told  some- 
thing of  what  our  instructors  put  before  us  during  the 
summer  course  of  1867.  First  and  foremost  among  our 
clinical  teachers  was  Dr.  X.  S.  Davis,  then  aged  fifty 
and  in  the  very  prime  of  mature  manhood,  and  in  the 
very  zenith  of  his  reputation.  He  was  a  little  below  the 
average  in  stature,  always  immaculate  in  dress  when  he 
came  to  the  Mercy  Hospital,  and  invariably  wore  a  high, 
silk  hat  and  a  black,  claw-hammer  coat.  At  all  times  he 
was  the  very  personification  of  the  dignified,  self-re- 
specting gentleman.  His  manner  was  serious,  his  lec- 
tures were  delivered  in  clear,  well-chosen  words  and  he 
never  so  much  as  hazarded  a  hint  of  anything  that  by 
the  most  liberal  construction  could  be  interpreted  as 
a  joke.  So  far  as  regards  attainments.  Dr.  Davis  at 
this  period  was  popularly  supposed  to  have  at  his 
tongue's  end  a  knowledge  of  the  whole  field  of  medicine. 
I  have  seen  it  asserted  that  if  in  any  given  day  in  the 
course,  the  first  lecturer  for  any  reason  failed  to  appear, 
Dr.  Davis  could  upon  a  moment's  warning  take  the  ab- 
sentee 's  place  and  fill  it  acceptably ;  then,  if  the  second 
lecturer  should  likewise  fail,  he  also  could  fill  that  hour 
and  acquit  himself  creditably,  and  so  on  through  all 


38  Slxty  Years  in  the  Medical  Hakness 

the  chairs  for  the  day.  Of  course,  the  whole  case  is 
hypothetical,  but  it  shows  the  way  Dr.  Davis  was  re- 
garded in  those  days.  I  think  the  last  clinical  lecture 
he  gave  us  that  summer  was  on  conjunctivits. 

On  much  the  same  plane  as  Dr.  Davis,  but  differing 
from  him  and  belonging  to  what  for  want  of  a  fitter 
term,  may  be  called  the  robust  type,  was  Dr.  Edmund 
Andrews,  a  well  trained  scholar,  and  a  good  surgeon 
who  gave  us  didactic  and  clinical  lectures  and  operated 
before  us.  Dr.  Andrews  had  a  sturdy,  robust  frame, 
a  large  head  and  at  this  time  he  was  in  the  prime  of 
mature  manhood.  While  he  could  not  be  classed  as  an 
attractive  speaker,  nevertheless  there  was  so  much 
thought  in  what  he  had  to  say  that  he  never  failed  to 
win  and  hold  the  attention  of  his  listeners.  Unlike  Dr. 
Davis  he  was  frequently  humorous  and  at  such  times 
his  eyes  sparkled  and  his  features  lighted  up  with  ani- 
mation. 

Another  lecturer  for  whom  I  came  to  have  great 
respect  was  Dr.  Bevan,  the  father  I  think  of  Dr.  Arthur 
D.  Bevan,  Professor  of  Surgery  in  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege. One  day  we  followed  Dr.  Bevan  through  Cook 
County  Hospital  and  were  taken  to  the  bedside  of  an 
Irish  patient.  The  sick  man  was  put  through  a  series 
of  rigid  questioning  and  cross-quiestioning  in  an 
endeavor  to  bring  out  the  fact  that  he  had  recently 
been  in  a  drunken  brawl  and  received  the  punish- 
ment which  resulted  in  a  number  of  dark  spots  that 
at  this  time  could  be  seen  on  his  body.  But  to  all  of 
Dr.  Bevan 's  pointed  questions  the  patient  stoutly 
answered  that  at  all  times  he  had  been  sober  and  peace- 
fully engaged.  Failing  to  get  from  the  man  any  con- 
cessions relative  to  shortcomings.  Dr.  Bevan  turned  to 
us  and  said,  "To  me  it  is  very  evident  this  man  is  lying ; 
he  has  certainly  been  where  the  game  was,  'see  a  head 
and  hit  it'!  Those  spots  on  his  body  are  the  result, 
they  are  bruises."  A  day  or  two  later  was  the  time  for 


A  Few  Chicago  Medical  Crumbs  39 

another  lecture  from  Dr.  Bevan,  but  before  beginning 
this  he  took  us  to  the  bedside  of  the  Irishman  and 
frankly  confessed  he  had  made  a  mistake  in  this  man's 
case.  "I  was  wrong,"  said  he,  "these  spots  on  the 
patient's  body  are  not  of  traumatic  origin,  they  are  the 
results  of  scurvy  from  an  attack  of  which  he  is  a  suf- 
ferer." Those  of  us  who  heard  Dr.  Bevan  learned  a 
valuable  lesson.  To  begin  with,  we  discovered  that  well 
informed  men  were  not  infallible,  then  we  had  some  of 
the  symptoms  of  scurvy  impressed  on  our  minds  and  in 
a  manner  we  certainly  should  never  forget. 

The  surgery  of  this  period  was  really  the  surgery  of 
the  Civil  War  era,  indeed,  scarce  two  years  had  elapsed 
since  that  great  strife  had  come  to  end  and  in  the  most 
literal  sense  many  of  its  wounds  were  yet  unhealed.  In 
a  brick  house  very  near  Douglas  Place  was  what  was 
known  as  the  Soldier's  Home,  a  sort  of  hospital  for  some 
of  those  who  were  yet  suifering  from  wounds  and  di- 
seases acquired  in  Civil  War  service.  At  this  place 
we  sometimes  attended  surgical  clinics.  I  can  not  recall 
any  important  operation  performed  during  this  course, 
though  there  were  doubtless  some.  At  times  some  of  us 
were  called  upon  to  assist  in  operating  and  this  we  did 
without  any  precautionary  preparations  whatsoever.  The 
trained  nurse  was  unheard  of,  the  only  female  nurses 
seen  were  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  and  the  men-nurses 
found  in  most  of  the  hospitals  were  greatly  lacking  in 
knowledge,  skill  and  tenderness.  So  called  "laudable 
pus"  flowed  from  all  open  wounds,  its  presence  was 
expected  and,  in  a  degree  at  least,  encouraged.  In  most 
instances  before  an  operation  the  hands  of  the  surgeon 
and  his  instruments  were  washed  in  a  sort  of  perfunctory 
manner  but  not  with  systematic  effort  at  thoroughness. 
Speaking  of  surgery  reminds  me  that  Dr.  Andrews 
at  this  time  had  a  partner  by  the  name  of  Sherman 
who  occasionally  gave  us  a  lecture  and  sometimes  oper- 


40  Slxty  Years  in  the  Medical  Haeness 

ated  before  us.  He  was  considered  very  promising,  but 
lost  his  health  and  died  early  in  life. 

Dr.  Daniel  T.  Nelson  gave  us  some  instruction  that 
at  that  time  seemed  little  short  of  ultra-scientific  on  the 
then  new  science  of  histology  which  I  think  he  had  but 
recently  received  fresh  from  the  lips  of  Dr.  Oliver  Wen- 
dell Holmes  at  that  period  in  the  zenith  of  his  remark- 
able double  career  of  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  Med- 
ical Department  of  Harvard,  and  brilliant  writer  in 
the  world  of  letters. 

Last,  but  by  no  means  least,  was  Dr.  "William  H. 
Byford  who  had  just  achieved  wide  fame  by  the  publi- 
cation of  his  popular  work  on  Diseases  of  Females,  and 
who  gave  us  didactic  teaching  at  the  college  and  clinical 
instruction  at  Mercy  Hospital.  At  this  time  he  was  in 
the  prime  and  vigor  of  manhood,  was  a  modest  unassum- 
ing gentleman,  but  as  a  talker  was  sometimes  difficult 
to  follow. 

Speaking  of  the  publication  of  Dr.  Byford 's  work 
on  Females,  I  think  this  was  about  the  only  medical 
book  put  out  by  a  Chicago  physician  in  all  that  period. 

Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  close  this  chapter  without 
recording  a  dim,  shadowy  recollection  I  received  in  the 
early  spring  months  of  a  fellow-student,  clad  in  a  long, 
heavy  overcoat  and  wearing  a  rather  high,  peaked  hat, 
and  who,  furthermore,  was  small  in  stature  and  rather 
quiet  in  manner.  I  never  think  of  this  student  in  his 
long  overcoat  that  I  do  not  recall  one  of  President  Lin- 
coln's stories.  One  cold  winter  day  a  man  called  at  the 
White  House,  heavily  wrapt  in  a  long  comforter  and 
wearing  a  long  heavj'  overcoat.  Before  being  seated  he 
slowly  unwound  the  comforter  round  after  round,  and 
next  with  deliberation  removed  his  great  coat.  Of  the 
whole  proceeding,  through  an  open  door,  Lincoln  was 
an  interested  spectator  and  at  its  conclusion,  his  eyes 
sparkled  as  he  said,  "What  a  little  nubbin  for  so  much 
shucks ! ' ' 


A  Few  Chicago  Medical  Crumbs  41 

"Well,  the  particular  '  *  nubbin ' '  I  saw  inside  the  long 
overcoat  and  under  the  peaked  hat  later  developed  into 
one  of  Chicago's  most  distinguished  internists  and  a 
gifted  writer  and  speaker  as  well — Dr.  Wm.  E.  Quine. 

Like  all  medical  students,  we  sometimes  discussed  our 
plans  for  the  future  and  in  this  connection  I  recall  that 
Bridge  one  day  said  he  was  going  to  make  use  of  a  pair  of 
mules  for  a  driving  team  when  he  got  ready  to  enter  upon 
the  practice  of  medicine.  We  were  surprised  at  this  and 
upon  asking  his  reasons  he  answered  that  on  the  farm 
he  had  seen  mules  tried-out  and  had  become  satisfied  of 
their  hardihood  and  other  desirable  qualities.  I  recall 
a  mental  picture  that  came  into  my  mind  at  this  time, 
which  was  made  up  of  a  buggy,  in  which  Bridge  was 
seated  with  a  medicine  case  at  his  feet,  a  pair  of  strong 
lines  in  one  hand,  whip  in  the  other,  which  was  being 
judiciously  applied  to  the  backs  and  sides  of  a  pair  of 
brown  mules,  faithfully  tugging  up  a  long,  steep  hill 
with  the  heavy  load  that  man  and  vehicle  made  behind 
them.  I  think  it  is  safe  to  say  that  nothing  like  this 
mental  picture  ever  materialized. 

In  due  time  our  "quartet"  broke  up  for  the  com- 
pelling reason  that  Morgan  had  to  leave  the  city  and 
take  with  him  his  furniture.  Spohner  and  I  got  a  board- 
ing-house elsewhere  and  Bridge  got  a  place  in  the  office 
of  Drs.  Andrews  and  Sherman,  and  one  day  when  I 
called  on  him  he  said  he  had  decided,  when  he  had  fin- 
ished his  education,  to  locate  in  Chicago.  At  the  time, 
this  seemed  almost  foolhardy  in  the  way  of  an  under- 
taking, but  that  Bridge  has  "made  good,"  and  that  in 
the  fullest  sense,  all  his  friends  are  willing  to  testify, 
should  the  need  arise.  In  his  later  years.  Dr.  Bridge  ac- 
quired much  wealth  and  gave  liberally  to  certain  worthy 
institutions  and  causes.  That  he  reached  a  high  place  in 
his  profession  need  hardly  be  said.  He  also  excelled  as  a 
writer  and  has  to  his  credit  several  volumes. 


42  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

I  spoke  above  of  Dr.  Jewell's  prolixity.  This  fol- 
lowed him  all  through  life  and  must  have  not  infre- 
quently proved  something  of  a  handicap,  but  on  one  oc- 
casion at  least  seemed  to  have  benefited  him  as  the  fol- 
lowing will  show.  However,  before  reaching  the  kernel 
of  my  story  it  may  prove  interesting  to  relate  all  the 
facts  connected  with  it  as  given  me  from  the  lips  of 
Dr.  H.  C.  Mitchell  of  Carbondale,  Illinois.  I  quote  from 
memory : 

In  the  mid-fifties  of  the  last  century  a  very  poor 
Southern  Illinois  boy  entered  the  office  of  the  older  Dr. 
Mitchell  as  his  student.  In  due  time  by  rigid  economy 
and  hard  work  the  young  student  had  saved  enough 
money  to  enable  him  to  go  to  Chicago  and  enter  one  of 
its  Medical  Schools.  His  first  appearance  in  the  amphi- 
theater was  that  of  a  very  shabbily  dressed  and  in  every 
way  awkward  and  ungainly  young  man.  Hence  it  fol- 
lowed that  the  dudes  in  the  class, — that  little  brainless 
coterie  that  have  infested  every  medical  school  since  the 
time  of  Galen — the  dudes  in  the  class,  I  started  out  to 
say,  turned  up  their  noses  at  the  poorly  dressed  ungainly 
youth  from  Southern  Illinois,  and  sought  to  make  his  life 
miserable  by  every  means  of  teasing  and  tormenting 
that  could  be  devised,  but  the  object  of  their  derision 
paid  no  attention  to  anything  but  his  studies  and  at  the 
end  of  the  first  course  of  lectures  was  contented  to  be 
the  best  posted  junior  in  the  class. 

During  the  next  course  of  lectures  he  outstripped 
everyone  and  finally  graduated  so  far  ahead  of  his  fel- 
lows that  he  had  all  but  caught  up  with  most  of  his 
instructors.  This  brilliant  young  graduate  was  none 
other  than  the  was-to-be  world-famous  Dr.  J.  S.  Jewell. 

Dr.  Jewell  located  in  Chicago  soon  after  graduation 
and  entered  upon  the  great  medical  career  he  was  des- 
tined to  fill.  Time  ran  its  course  and  meanwhile  Dr. 
Jewell's  preceptor  at  Carbondale  had  a  son  who  be- 
came a  medical  student  and  the  father  naturally  became 


A  Few  Chicago  Medical  Crumbs  43 

desirous  that  his  son  should  have  advantages  better 
than  he  had  enjoyed ;  and  fired  with  this  ambition  what 
more  natural  that  he  should  ask  his  erstwhile  student, 
Dr.  Jewell  to  take  his  son  in  his  office  as  student  and 
what  more  natural  than  that  Dr.  Jewell  should  take 
delight  in  obliging  his  old  preceptor,  the  older  Dr.  Mitch- 
ell of  Southern  Illinois?  Not  content  with  putting  at 
the  services  of  young  Mitchell  all  the  opportunities  his 
office  afforded  Dr.  Jewell  succeeded  in  getting  his  stu- 
dent in  the  consultation  rooms  of  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  two 
days  in  each  week. 

At  this  time  Dr.  Davis  was  in  the  zenith  of  a  nation- 
wide reputation,  in  more  senses  than  one  he  was  the 
medical  autocrat  of  Chicago  and  the  whole  northwest 
and  patients  flocked  to  his  consultation  rooms  from 
all  over  the  country.  Among  those  who  one  day  came 
to  consult  Dr.  Da\'is  was  a  young  man  from  the  far 
South, — from  Atlanta,  Georgia,  if  I  remember  correctly. 
This  young  man  had  two  things  that  do  not  always  reach 
the  doctor's  office  on  and  about  the  individual  patient, 
namely,  a  reasonable  stock  of  ill-health  and  a  long  and 
well-filled  purse.  He  was  a  typical  Southerner  and  as 
such  was  frank,  free-hearted  and  disposed  to  be  helpful. 

Upon  entering  Dr.  Davis'  consultation  room  and  in- 
troducing himself  he  said,  "Doctah,  you'll  pahden  me 
suh,  but  before  you  examine  me  it  is  my  desiah  to  ex- 
plain my  case. ' ' 

"Never  mind,  never  mind,"  said  Dr.  Davis,  "that 
will  all  come  out  at  my  examination."  Pretty  soon  the 
impetuous  Southerner  broke  out  again  by  saying,  "Pah- 
den me  Doctah,  but  I  am  suah  I  can  be  of  suhvice  if  you 
will  pehmit  me  to  explain. ' ' 

"Never  mind,  just  answer  the  questions  you  are 
asked, ' '  replied  the  impatient  Dr.  Davis.  Through  with 
tlie  examinations  the  patient  was  given  a  prescription 
containing  about  a  dozen  ingredients  and  told  to  come 
back  in  a  week. 


44  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

At  the  specified  time  the  young  Southerner  returned 
feeling  no  better,  but  more  than  ever  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  he  could  be  of  material  aid  to  his  physician 
were  he  only  permitted  to  let  in  the  light  on  the  ease 
he  could  but  believe  he  possessed. 

Accordingly  upon  entering  the  consultation  room  he 
renewed  his  request  in  the  suave  gentlemanly  manner 
of  which  he  was  a  past  master. 

But  to  this  Dr.  Davis  replied,  "Never  mind,  never 
mind,  answer  my  questions. ' '  Glancing  up  and  noticing 
the  overhanging  brow  of  his  phj'sician  he  recalled  some- 
thing he  had  read  about  the  power  of  mind  over  matter 
and  held  his  peace  and  the  examination  proceeded. 

At  its  close  the  patient  was  given  another  prescrip- 
tion with  many  ingredients  and  told  to  come  back  if  not 
improved.  The  patient  was  charged  a  dollar  the  stand- 
ard consultation  fee  of  Dr.  Davis  in  that  period. 

The  patient  followed  directions  for  a  few  days  and 
feeling  no  better  decided  to  take  a  trip  into  Wisconsin 
as  the  weather  was  exceptionally  warm.  Here  he  re- 
mained for  several  weeks  and  failing  to  improve  re- 
turned to  Chicago  to  again  consult  Dr.  Davis. 

Entering  the  consultation  rooms  of  Dr.  Davis  the 
patient  in  very  earnest  tones  said,  "Doctah  Davis  I  hope 
you  will  pahden  me,  suh,  when  I  tell  you  I  am  no  bettah 
suh,  and  that  I  feel  that  I  must  tell  you  of  some  things 
in  my  case  that  you  ought  to  know  suh, ' ' — '  *  Never  mind, 
never  mind,  answer  my  questions,"  replied  Dr.  Davis 
in  the  way  of  an  interruption.  "I  insist  suh  that  you 
heah  what  I  have  to  say, ' '  answered  the  patient. 

' '  Will  you  keep  quiet  ? ' '  was  the  sharp  retort  of  the 
physician. 

' '  Doctah,  I  'm  a  gentleman  and  I  expect  to  be  treated 
like  a  gentleman ! ' '  was  the  emphatic  retort  of  the 
now  aroused  Southerner. 

Dr.  Davis'  next  move  was  to  step  to  the  door  and 
order  the  patient  out  of  his  office.   The  young  man  went 


A  Few  Chicago  Medical  Crumbs  45 

out  in  the  waiting  room,  dropped  in  a  chair,  broke  down 
and  cried  like  a  child.  Here  Student  Mitchell  went  up 
to  him  spoke  kindly  and  leading  the  way  out  of  the  wait- 
ing room  asked  the  patient  to  follow  till  finally  both 
found  themselves  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Jewell  who  upon  a 
hint  from  his  student  took  in  the  situation  and  acted  ac- 
cordingly. He  took  the  patient  in  his  consultation  room, 
directed  the  removal  of  every  stitch  of  clothing  and  pro- 
ceeded to  examine  him  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to 
the  tip  of  his  toenails.  Then  Dr.  Jewell  got  from  the 
patient  a  minute  personal  history  and  supplemented 
this  with  a  full  history  of  his  parents,  grandparents 
and  as  far  as  possible  drew  out  all  that  could  be  ob- 
tained relating  to  the  health  conditions  of  uncles,  cous- 
ins, etc. 

After  an  hour  or  two  spent  in  this  way  the  patient 
was  given  a  prescription  and  a  fee  of  twenty-five  dollars 
collected.  This  done  the  patient  was  directed  to  return 
in  ten  days.  Again  an  examination  was  made,  another 
prescription  written  and  a  second  fee  of  twenty-five  dol- 
lars collected,  and  the  patient  directed  to  come  back  in 
another  ten  days. 

Just  how  long  this  routine  was  kept  up  is  not  re- 
called, however,  the  young  man  after  a  time  began  to 
improve  steadily  and  meanwhile  Dr.  Jewell  from  time 
to  time  invited  him  to  his  home,  and  this  the  young  man 
seemed  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  especially. 

Finally  the  patient  felt  that  he  was  about  well  and 
hence  was  in  condition  to  return  to  his  much-loved 
Southland.  Before  starting  for  his  home  he  sat  down 
and  wrote  his  check  payable  to  Dr.  Jewell  and  to  the 
amount  of  one  thousand  dollars.  Putting  this  in  his 
pocket  he  went  to  the  office  of  that  physician  and  ad- 
dressing him  said : 

' '  Doctah  you  have  cuahd  me  suh  and  I  have  called  to 
find  out  mv  indebtedness  to  vou  suh." 


46 


Sixty  Years  m  the  Medical  Harness 


"Oh,  you  owe  me  nothing  more,  as  you  paid  every 
time  you  came  to  the  office." 

"That's  cuhtinly  veahy  kind  of  you  suh,  but  if  you 
dont  mind  I'll  just  leave  this  bit  of  papah  with  you  to 
remembah  me  by. ' '  With  this  he  removed  the  one-thous- 
and dollar  check  from  his  pocket,  put  it  on  the  table, 
weighted  it  down  with  a  book,  picked  up  his  hat  and 
hastily  went  out  of  the  door  to  just  where  Dr.  Jewell 
never  knew. 


GHICACO 


Miatric Illation    Ticlset. 


<;^or  Mr 


CHICAGO,  ILL.,0^  ) 


Treasurer. 


V. 


A  LEARNER  AND  WITHAL  A  TEACHER 

Whence  is  thy  learning?   Hath  thy  toil 
Oe'r  hooks  consumed  the  midnight  oil? 

Selected. 

UPON  returning  to  the  interior  of  Illinois  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1867,  I  for  a  while  made  my  home  on  a 
farm  with  my  brother  where  I  put  in  the  time  reading 
medicine  and  studying  over  and  seeking  to  elaborate 
the  notes  I  had  made  at  Ann  Arbor  and  Chicago.  With 
hopeful  anticipation  I  was  all  this  time  looking  forward 
to  attendance  upon  the  ensuing  course  of  lectures  in 
the  Chicago  Medical  College  and  at  its  close,  if  those 
in  authority  so  willed,  receiving  my  degree.  But  the 
Fates  were  against  me,  when  fall  came  with  the  wither- 
ing and  falling  of  the  leaves,  my  prospects  blighted  and 
my  hopes  dashed  to  the  ground.  The  old,  old  question 
of  means,  like  Banquo's  ghost  "would  not  down."  Some 
money  due  me  and  upon  which  I  had  confidently  de- 
pended, could  not  be  collected,  and  I  was  compelled  to 
accept  the  situation,  namely,  the  postponement  of  my 
attendance  upon  medical  lectures,  to  some  more  propi- 
tious time  in  the  future.  Had  my  plans  not  miscarried, 
I  should  in  all  probability  have  had  the  privilege  of 
graduating  somewhere  above  the  foot  of  a  class  in  the 
spring  of  1868,  near  the  head  of  which  were  the  names 
of  Dr.  Nicholas  Senn,  and  Dr.  Norman  Bridge.  But 
"man  proposes  and  God  disposes." 

"If  you  cannot  do  what  you  want  to,  do  the  next 
best  thing,"  is  a  wise  suggestion.  The  next  best  thing 
in  the  autumn  of  1867  seemed  to  be  the  teaching  of  a 
country  school,  which  was  offered  me  and  which  was 

47 


48  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medic.vi.  Harness 

situated  about  three  miles  from  my  brother's  farm,  and 
half-way  to  the  county-seat,  where  meantime  I  had 
made  arrangements  to  spend  any  leisure  time  I  might 
have  in  the  office  of  a  practicing  physician.  On  Satur- 
days, and  sometimes  evenings,  I  went  with  him  to  see 
patients.  Once  I  remember  going  with  him  to  the  coun- 
try to  see  a  patient  with  what  had  been  diagnosed  as 
"bilious  fever."  It  seemed  that  the  case  was  dragging 
along  and  the  older  brother  at  whose  house  the  patient 
was  making  his  home,  was  dissatisfied  and  thought  the 
patient  was  being  treated  for  the  wrong  disease.  From 
the  conversation  which  followed  I  gathered  that  the  man 
believed  the  patient  really  had  typhoid  fever,  instead 
of  the  milder  and  shorter-coursed  bilious  fever.  As  is 
natural  in  such  instances,  the  attending  physician  was 
impatient  of  criticism  and  questionings  which  were, 
indirectly,  of  course,  a  reflection  upon  his  professional 
judgment.  The  case  dragged  along,  later  passed  into 
the  hands  of  another  medical  attendant,  but  in  the  end, 
recovered.  We  all  make  mistakes,  but  in  this  instance, 
my  preceptor  made  two.  First,  he  mistook  a  case  of  mild 
typhoid  for  one  of  bilious  fever,  a  thing  doctors  not 
infrequently  did  in  those  days.  Whatever  the  nature  of 
the  trouble,  when  he  saw  the  friends  were  bound  to  have 
a  really  serious  case  and  were  willing  to  pay  for  in- 
creased attendance,  it  would  have  been  the  part  of  wis- 
dom to  have  "climbed  in  the  band-wagon"  so  to  speak, 
and  as  tactfully  as  possible,  bow  to  the  situation.  A 
thing  which  it  is,  of  course,  easier  to  advise  than  in  all 
eases  do. 

One  evening  I  was  sitting  in  my  preceptor's  office 
all  alone,  the  doctor  having  gone  to  the  country.  Twi- 
light was  fast  gathering;  I  had  not  yet  lighted  a  lamp, 
and  having  closed  a  copy  of  Watson's  Practice,  which 
I  had  been  reading  I  was  sitting  in  a  meditative  mood, 
wondering  when  I  should  be  able  to  take  the  much 
longed  for  course  of  lectures  and  finish  my  education. 


A  Learner  and  Withal  a  Teacher  49 

But  all  at  once  my  meditations  were  broken  into  by  the 
door  opening,  and  a  man  making  the  inquiry,  "Vas  you 
der  dochter?"  ''No,"  I  answered,  "  the  doctor  is  in 
the  country."  "Vas  you  by  der  dochter?"  was  the  next 
inquiry.  And  in  answer,  I  said,  ''Yes,  I  am  his  stu- 
dent." Then  he  said,  "You  geef  me  sumdinks  for 
piles?"  "For  piles?"  I  answered,  "you  got  piles?" 
"Yaas,"  he  replied,  "Got  heem  on  my  sheek."  Light- 
ing a  lamp  I  saw  that  the  man  had  a  large  boil  (bile  or 
biles)  on  his  left  cheek  that  was  about  ready  to  break 
of  its  own  accord.  However,  I  thought  it  would  keep, 
if  I  may  so  speak,  till  the  next  day,  when  my  preceptor 
could  "lance  it,"  as  the  operation  was  termed  in  those 
days.  I  told  the  patient  to  poultice  the  boil  with  bread 
and  milk,  a  common  substitute  for  flax-meal  poultice, 
then  in  general  use,  and  return  next  morning  when  the 
doctor  would  see  him.  However,  next  morning  he  did 
not  return  and  the  matter  had  about  passed  from  my 
mind,  until  a  few  days  later  when  I  was  crossing  the 
street  some  one  accosted  me,  and  turning  round  there 
was  my  patient  with  a  broad  grin  on  his  face  while  say- 
ing, "You  vos  yust  so  goot  as  der  old  dochter;  my  piles 
vas  put  nigh  veil  alretty!"  I  looked  at  his  cheek,  saw 
the  boil  had  burst  of  its  own  accord,  and  now  was  all 
pretty  well  healed  up,  but  desiring  to  have  a  little  foun- 
dation for  so  much  praise  given  me,  I  said,  "Of  course 
you  made  the  poultice  of  bread  and  milk  I  directed 
and  kept  it  on  your  cheek?"  He  looked  at  me,  his  al- 
ready broad  smile  of  satisfaction  growing  yet  wider 
and  said,  "Yaas,  I  eat  heem."  So  here  I  was  receiving 
compliments  and  the  hearty  gratitude  of  the  patient 
for  effecting  his  cure  and  the  remedy  I  had  directed 
should  be  used  locally,  he  had  put  down  his  ample 
throat ! 

As  I  said  before,  my  school  was  three  miles  from  my 
brother's  farm  and  an  equal  distance  from  Greenville, 
the  county-seat  of  Bond  County,  and  as  I  divided  my 


50  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

time  between  these  two  places,  I  had  a  good  long  walk  in 
any  event.  The  school  house  was  in  a  grove  of  timber, 
just  off  the  public  highway  was  a  white  frame  building 
of  the  usual  pattern  in  those  days,  with  two  doors  in 
front,  a  row  of  windows  on  either  side,  a  stove  in  the 
middle,  the  teacher's  desk  in  the  end  opposite  the  door, 
the  girls  occupying  the  rows  of  seats  on  one  side  and 
the  boys  the  other  side.  I  had  some  bright  pupils  this 
winter  and  a  number  of  these  were  pretty  well  ad- 
vanced, which  made  it  much  pleasanter  for  me,  but  not- 
withstanding the  fact,  I  disliked  teaching,  and  was  glad 
when  the  term  closed.  I  had  reached  my  eighteenth 
birthday  in  the  early  autumn  of  1861  and  I  engaged  to 
teach  a  country  school  in  the  extreme  northwestern  lim- 
its of  Bond  County  and  before  the  winter  ended,  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  teaching  school  was  not  always 
a  pleasant  vocation  and  since  then  have  had  reason  to 
know  it  to  be  an  often  nerve- wracking  occupation. 

However,  much  as  I  disliked  teaching,  there  is  much 
that  can  be  placed  on  the  credit  side  of  the  ledger.  Many, 
many  years  subsequent  to  my  school-teaching,  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  meeting  some  of  my  former  pupils  grown 
to  gray-haired  men  and  women,  some  of  them  grandpar- 
ents, and  all  of  them  seemed  so  glad  to  meet  me,  and 
spoke  interestingly  of  the  old  days  and  appreciatively 
of  our  former  relations.  Thus  it  came  about  that  I  found 
a  * '  sweet ' '  for  the  long-ago  ' '  sour. ' ' 

As  the  roads  were  frequently  heavy  my  three-mile 
walk  to  and  from  school  was  often  fatiguing,  neverthe- 
less, I  put  in  my  evenings  and  Saturdays  reading  medi- 
cine in  the  office  of  my  preceptor.  Dr.  Thomas  Wilkins, 
of  Greenville.  Here  also  lived  and  practiced  Dr.  David 
Wilkins,  a  brother  of  my  preceptor  and  a  graduate  of 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
and  who,  as  elsewhere  noted,  was  first  assistant  surgeon 
of  the  130th  Illinois,  in  which  I  served  during  the  Civil 
War,  and  first  made  his  acquaintance. 


A  Leabner  and  Withal  a  Teacher  51 

Greenville  is  situated  on  high  ground  and  immedi- 
ately west  of  the  town  is  a  high  bluff  and  at  the  foot 
of  this  low  ground  that  extends  to  Shoal  Creek  some  fur- 
ther to  the  westward.  In  this  low  ground  the  towns- 
people dumped  their  garbage  and  at  some  period  in  the 
past  disposed  of  their  dead  animals,  and  consequently 
in  time  it  came  to  be  dotted  here  and  there  with  the 
bones  of  various  creatures  that  had  whitened  in  the 
sun.  In  my  walks,  I  not  infrequently  picked  up  such 
of  these  bones  as  were  more  perfect  and  took  them  to 
the  office  for  study  and  thus  I,  in  a  small  way,  famil- 
iarized myself  with  comparative  anatomy,  I  was  sur- 
prised at  the  almost  absolute  perfection  of  some  of  these 
specimens — every  articulating  surface,  every  fossa,  every 
protuberance,  every  fissure,  every  foramen,  indeed, 
every  detail  of  nature 's  work,  however  minute,  carefully 
preserved  in  these  bones  that  long,  long  ago  served  their 
several  purposes  in  the  animal  economy  and  then  for 
many  years  had  weathered  the  cold  of  winter,  the  drench 
of  rain,  the  blast  of  storm,  and  the  heat  of  summer, 
before  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find  them.  In  that  pro- 
vincial locality  trained  eyes  were  few,  very  few  indeed, 
and  consequently  mine,  though  very  little  trained,  were 
the  first  to  fall  on  these  specimens  with  any  degree  of 
appreciation,  in  its  way  another  illustration  of  the  fact 
that, 

"Full  many  a  flower  is  born  to  blush  unseen, 
And  waste  its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air, 

Full  many  a  gem  of  purest  ray  serene, 

The  dark  unfathomed  caves  of  ocean  bear." 

During  this  winter  of  1866-7  I  made  very  few  ac- 
quaintances among  the  young  men  of  Greenville, — prac- 
tically none  among  the  young  ladies,  and  over  this  fact 
was  not  a  little  annoyed  as  I  felt  the  need  of  cultivating 
the  social  side  of  life.  However,  my  school,  the  task  of 
getting  to  and  from  it  and  my  medical  studies  which  I 


UBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOIS 


52  Sixty  Yeiars  in  the  Medical  Harness 

felt  the  necessity  of  pursuing  industriously,   occupied 
about  all  my  time  and  capabilities. 

One  afternoon  near  the  close  of  my  school  I  began 
to  feel  uncomfortable,  then  I  chilled  and  vi'^hen  school 
was  dismissed  for  the  day  I  sat  down  by  the  glowing 
stove,  dreading  to  undertake  the  three-mile  trip  to  my 
brother's  but  at  last  I  screwed  up  my  courage  and 
started.  I  had  gotten  over  about  half  the  ground  when 
feeling  a  sharp  pain  in  my  side,  I  sat  down  on  the  edge 
of  a  little  bridge  to  rest,  and  get  my  breath.  Meanwhile 
I  coughed  and  saw  that  the  sputum  was  streaked  with 
blood.  A  little  later  I  resumed  my  walk  and  tottered 
along  as  best  I  could  over  the  remaining  mile  and  a  half. 
Arriving  at  my  destination  I  at  once  went  to  bed  and 
used  what  means  the  house  afforded  to  make  me  comfort- 
able. But  despite  all  our  efforts  the  pain  in  my  side 
and  bloody  expectoration  continued  through  the  night, 
and  next  morning  it  seemed  but  common  prudence  to 
send  in  to  the  county-seat  for  my  preceptor  who  in  due 
time  was  at  my  bedside,  looked  me  over,  put  me  on 
treatment  which  consisted  mainly  of  quinine  and  Dover's 
Powder.  This  soon  gave  me  relief  and  in  a  very  few 
days  I  was  back  in  my  school  room.  My  preceptor  al- 
ways claimed  that  he  aborted  an  attack  of  pneumonia 
in  my  case,  and  I  always  believed  that  he  did. 

I  remember  a  surgical  case  my  preceptor,  Dr.  Thom- 
as Wilkins,  was  proud  of  and  fond  of  exhibiting  to  his 
medical  friends.  A  young  man  was  out  hunting  and 
in  discharging  his  gun  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  have  it 
burst  in  his  hands,  when  one  of  the  fragments  struck 
him  over  the  right  eye  and  tore  away  some  of  the  frontal 
bone,  exposing  the  brain  but,  nothwithstanding  the  seri- 
ousness of  the  injury,  the  wound  healed  and  the  patient 
made  a  perfect  recovery ;  however,  there  remained  a 
hideous  scar  to  tell  the  story  of  his  misfortune. 

As  asepsis  was  unknown  in  this  period  and  conse- 
quently anti-sepsis  not  understood  and  practiced,  the 


Sii.As  H.  Douglas 


Moses  Gunn 


JoiIX    T.    HODGEX 


SiH  Thomas  Watsox 


A  Learner  and  Withal  a  Teacher  53 

direct  and  uninterrupted  advance  on  the  road  to  re- 
covery of  this  case  was  certainly  remarkable.  The  young 
man  belonged  to  a  poverty-stricken  family  and  home-life 
cleanliness  was  one  of  the  last  things  cared  for  or  put 
in  practice  but,  nothwithstanding,  he  outlived  an  injury 
that  would  have  proved  fatal  to  forty-nine  out  of  fifty 
in  that  era  of  "dirty"  surgery.  The  patient,  doubtless, 
had  extraordinary  powers  of  resistance,  or  as  we  would 
perhaps  say  today  phagocytosis  in  his  case  was  especially 
active.  His  case  was  almost  in  the  class  of  one  reported 
in  the  older  physiologies.  This  was  that  of  a  man  who 
sustained  a  terrible  injury  from  a  premature  explosion 
while  engaged  in  blasting  rock.  As  a  result,  an  iron 
crowbar  was  driven  through  his  brain,  entering  below 
one  eye  and  coming  out  above  the  ear  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  head.  His  comrades  put  him  in  a  dray  and 
with  the  crowbar  yet  in  the  wound  he  was  driven  to  the 
office  of  a  surgeon  who  with  the  exertion  of  no  little 
force  removed  the  crowbar,  applied  dressings,  and 
though  this  was  long  before  the  days  of  anti-septic  sur- 
gery, yet  the  man  recovered.  Very  naturally,  this  be- 
came a  classical  case  with  the  older  authors. 

While  it  may  not  be  altogether  pertinent  to  my  gen- 
eral topic,  yet  I  can  but  believe  that  a  brief  reference 
to  the  average  country  school  of  a  half  century  ago  may 
not  prove  wholly  uninteresting.  The  school  I  taught 
during  the  winter  of  1866-7  had  an  average  attendance 
of  about  twenty-five  scholars,  ranging  in  age  from  little 
tow-headed  six-3'ear-olds  to  husky  young  men  almost 
old  enough  to  vote.  The  curriculum  ranged  from  "a-b- 
ab"  pupils  to  advanced  arithmetic  and  United  States 
history  classes. 

In  that  period  it  embraced  the  seven  branches,  of 
Reading,  Writing,  Arithmetic,  Spelling,  Grcography, 
Grammar  and  United  States  History.  Average  profi- 
ciency in  these  seven  branches  was  in  that  day  rated 
a  good  English  education. 


54  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

If  I  remember  correctly,  we  that  winter  used  Ray's 
Arithmetic  and  when  opportunity  presented  itself,  I 
would  sometimes  amuse  myself  by  endeavoring  to  solve 
some  of  its  more  difficult  ''sums"  and  problems.  One 
of  these  I  recall  was  the  following,  ' '  The  hour  and  min- 
ute hands  of  a  clock  are  together  at  noon ;  when  will  they 
be  together  again?"  As  the  boj^  said,  "I  got  the  an- 
swer." But  I  seriously  doubt  if  I  could  do  as  much  to- 
day. 

We  used  McGuffys  Series  of  Readers  and  I  thought 
then,  and  think  still  that  they  have  never  been  equalled. 
Since  that  day  it  has  fallen  to  my  fortune  to  educate  a 
large  family  and  to  serve  for  a  number  of  years  on 
Boards  of  Education,  yet  I  have  never  seen  the  old- 
time  McGuffy  Series  of  Readers  excelled.  The  selections 
in  the  Third  and  Fourth  Readers  in  this  series  were,  for 
the  most  part,  high  class  literature.  So  high  class  in  fact 
that  not  a  few  of  the  older  men  and  women  are  ready  to 
testify  that  it  was  to  these  readers  that  they  owe  their 
taste  for  good  books  and  the  better  magazine  articles, — 
in  a  word  for  good  literature. 

We  used  the  old  time  Webster  spelling  book  with  its 
blue  back  so  familiar  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  two  genera- 
tions ago  and  that  figured  as  the  "classical"  and  "high- 
er law"  in  the  spelling-books  of  the  mid-nineteenth 
century  days.  How  these  spelling-schools  were  enjoyed 
in  those  innocent  times !  They  were  often  held  at  the 
school-house  of  winter  evenings  and  everyone  was  wel- 
come to  attend.  Likewise,  everyone  present  was  ex- 
pected to  take  part ;  and  how  all  were  amused  when 
some  small  girl  would  ' '  spell  down ' '  a  staid,  mature  citi- 
zen of  forty-five. 

But  to  those  who  were  old  enough  to  have  the  '  *  men- 
tal grasp,"  the  most  interesting  study  was  grammar, 
and  furthermore,  it  served  to  discipline  the  mind  per- 
haps more  than  any  one  of  the  required  seven  branches 
that  entered  into  the  common-school  curriculum. 

Some   little    time   before   my   school    ended    I    had 


A  Learner  and  Withal  a  Teacher  55 

reached  the  decision,  at  its  close,  to  go  to  St.  Louis, 
not  far  distant,  and  see  what  I  could  find  in  the  way  of 
a  summer  course,  consequently,  when  the  last  day  came, 
the  last  lesson  recited,  and  the  last  duty  performed,  I 
at  once  set  about  making  the  few  preparations  needed  to 
follow  out  my  plans. 


VI 


SOME  MEDICAL  GLEANINGS  FROM  ST.  LOUIS 
IN  1868 

Half  our  knowledge  we  must  snatch,  not  take. 

Pope. 

BEFORE  daylight  one  dark,  dreary  morning  towards 
the  close  of  the  month  of  March,  1868,  I  took  the 
hack  at  Greenville  for  Carlyle,  Illinois,  some  twenty 
miles  distant,  but  the  nearest  railway  station.  As  a  cold 
drizzling  rain  was  falling  and  the  roads  were  muddy  and 
heavy,  the  trip  was  tedious  and  disagreeable.  Reaching 
Carlyle  at  last  a  train  was  boarded  for  St.  Louis  and 
upon  arriving  at  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite,  now 
the  site  of  the  tliriving  city  of  East  St.  Louis,  a  ferry 
boat  was  taken  to  cross  the  Mississippi,  there  being  as 
yet  no  bridge  though  work  had  already  begun  on  the 
Eads  bridge. 

For  a  number  of  years  St.  Louis  had  been  able  to 
boast  two  Medical  Colleges  within  its  limits.  The  oldest 
of  these  was  The  Missouri  Medical  College,  also  known  as 
McDowell  College,  from  its  noted  founder,  Joseph  Mc- 
Dowell who  filled  the  chair  of  surgery.  The  other,  the 
St.  Louis  Medical  College,  a  newer  school,  had  come  to 
be  known  as  Pope 's  College  from  the  name  of  its  leading 
founder,  also  a  famous  and  skillful  surgeon.  During 
the  greater  part  of  the  fifties  and  up  to  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  War  the  rivalry  between  these  schools 
was  little  short  of  terrible  to  contemplate.  Dr.  Joseph 
McDowell  at  the  head  of  the  Missouri  Medical  College, 
while  a  brilliant  surgeon,  had  a  tongue  that  was  simply 
venomous,  and  the  English  language  scarcely  afforded 
spiteful  and  malicious  epithets  enough  to  gratify  his 

56 


Medical.  Gleanings  From  St.  Louis  57 

hatred  when  speaking  of  the  rival  school.  Naturally  the 
faculty  of  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College  resented  these 
malicious  attacks  and  naturally  too,  the  students  of  each 
school  to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree,  were  drawn  into  this 
college  war.  But  fortunately  for  the  good  name  of  all 
concerned,  this  unseemly  conflict  came  to  a  sudden  end- 
ing in  the  spring  of  1861,  when  Fort  Sumter  was  fired 
on,  the  Civil  "War  broke  out,  and  Dr.  McDowell,  who 
was  an  ardent  Southern  sympathizer,  tendered  his  serv- 
ices to  the  newly-born  Confederacy.  His  offer  was 
promptly  accepted,  his  surgical  ability  was  duly  recog- 
nized, and  he  became  chief  surgeon  to  the  Trans-Mississ- 
ippi Department  of  the  C.  S.  A. 

One  day  in  September,  1865,  the  war  meanwhile  hav- 
ing come  to  an  end,  the  regiment  to  which  I  belonged 
boarded  a  Mississippi  River  steamboat,  at  New  Orleans, 
for  the  purpose  of  going  up  that  water-way  and  return- 
ing to  Illinois  where  we  were  to  receive  at  Camp  Butler 
near  Springfield,  our  discharge  from  the  service  and 
final  pay.  Those  of  us  connected  with  the  medical  de- 
partment of  our  regiment  soon  after  going  on  the  vessel 
were  interested  to  hear  that  one  of  our  fellow-passengers 
on  the  boat  was  no  less  a  personage  than  the  famous 
surgeon,  Dr.  Joseph  N.  McDowell,  who  with  the  surren- 
der of  the  trans-Mississippi  army  of  the  Confederacy, 
was  about  to  return  to  his  old  home  at  St.  Louis.  At 
this  time  his  hair  and  long  beard  were  as  white  as  the 
driven  snow;  his  face  was  wrinkled  with  the  tracks  of 
Old  Father  Time,  but  when  he  talked,  his  bright  eyes 
twinkled  and  his  fine  features  were  animated  and  at- 
tractive. As  the  weather  was  warm,  he  frequently  came 
out  on  the  steamboat  deck  bare-headed,  without  a  coat 
or  vest,  wearing  onlj-  a  thin  shirt,  a  pair  of  light  colored 
Confederate  pantaloons  and  low,  coarse  shoes.  His 
shoes  and  dress  were  just  what  he  had  from  necessity 
worn  while  inside  the  Confederacy  and  as  yet  deemed 
good  enough  for  their  purposes.  Notwithstanding  nearly 


58  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

all  those  about  him  were  in  the  blue  uniforms  of  Union 
soldiers,  yet  he  did  not  have  one  bitter  word  or  make  a 
single  reference  to  the  great  struggle  just  closed.  His 
talk  was  mainly  story-telling,  at  which  he  was  a  past- 
master,  and  delineations  of  personal  peculiarities.  Our 
progress  up  the  river  in  due  time  brought  us  one  even- 
ing in  sight  of  the  lights  at  Cairo,  Illinois,  and  at  the 
sight  of  these,  we  were  thrilled  with  thoughts  of  the 
welcome  our  people  would  extend  to  us  as  victors  and 
saviors  of  the  Union.  Meanwhile  I  could  but  think  of 
what  Dr.  McDowell  would  meet  upon  his  return  to  St. 
Louis,  his  old  home.  That  city  he  would  find  now  union 
from  limit  to  limit,  while  the  pride  of  his  heart.  The 
Missouri  Medical  College  Building,  had  during  the 
whole  course  of  the  war,  been  used  as  a  Confederate  mil- 
itary prison  and  had  housed  under  its  roof  numerous 
soldiers  from  the  Southern  armies,  (prisoners)  all  of 
whom  were  its  most  unwilling  tenants.  Dr.  McDowell 
however,  never  for  one  moment  changed  his  political 
views  and  his  contemners  in  the  end,  asserted  of  him 
that  he  lived  and  died  an  "unrepentant  rebel."  Not  a 
great  while  after  his  return  to  St.  Louis,  the  college 
building  reverted  to  the  original  owners  and  here  one 
daj^  a  female  relative  of  Dr.  McDowell,  a  most  refined 
lady,  called  upon  him  and  after  the  usual  greetings, 
mutual  enquiries  after  relatives  and  a  pleasant  visit, 
she  rose  to  take  her  leave,  when  the  host  stopped  her 
by  saying,  "Before  you  go,  I  want  the  privilege  of 
taking  you  to  hell ! ' '  Very  naturally  the  visitor  was 
shocked,  but  noticing  a  twinkle  in  Dr.  McDowell's  eyes 
and  a  twitching  about  the  corners  of  his  mouth,  she  at 
least  felt  assured  that  no  harm  would  befall  her,  and  ac- 
cordingly she  concluded  to  follow  wherever  her  kinsman 
might  see  fit  to  lead.  The  way  led  through  some  dark 
halls,  down  some  dingy  winding  stairs  and  finally  ended 
in  a  basement  room,  dimly  lighted  and  about  the  walls 
of  which  were  numerous  shelves ;  about  the  floor  were  a 


Medic^vl  Gleanings  From  St.  Louis  59 

number  of  tables  and  upon  these  were  big  bottles,  glass 
jars  and  containers  of  various  kinds  and  sizes,  all  filled 
with  repulsive  specimens  from  the  reptilian  world,  not 
a  few  of  which  were  alive  and  writhing.  One  big, 
wicked  looking  rattle-snake  which  lay  coiled  while  it 
threw  its  head  about  and  thrust  out  its  tongue,  Dr.  Mc- 
Dowell called  ** Abraham  Lincoln,"  while  a  poisonous 
copperhead  in  another  container  was  named  "U.  S. 
Grant, ' '  and  so  on  down  through  the  list,  were  the  prom- 
inent leaders  in  the  Union  cause  remembered.  Dr.  Mc- 
Dowell had  very  great  ability  but  was  eccentric  and 
bitter  to  the  last  degree. 

Dr.  Joseph  Nash  McDowell  belonged  to  the  noted 
Kentucky  family  of  that  name,  which  originally  came 
from  Virginia,  however.  He  was  a  nephew  of  Ephriam 
McDowell,  famed  as  the  Father  of  Ovariotomy,  was  bom 
early  in  the  nineteenth  century  at  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
then  the  "Athens  of  the  West,"  where  he  was  given  a 
fine  classical  education.  Later  he  graduated  from  the 
Medical  Department  of  Transylvania  University  in  his 
native  town.  Then  he  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  and  here  his 
remarkable  knowledge  and  aptness  in  Anatomj^  caused 
him  to  be  appointed  to  the  professorship  of  that  chair  in 
the  school  upon  whose  benches  he  had  just  been  sitting 
as  a  student. 

However,  he  had  lectured  at  Jefferson  but  one  year 
when  a  lure  of  some  kind  took  him  back  to  his  native 
Lexington,  where  the  immediate  attraction  (no  doubt 
the  real  ' '  lure ' '  in  this  case )  proved  to  be  a  young  lady, 
the  sister  of  the  famous  Dr.  Daniel  Drake,  whom  he 
soon  married  and  then  settled  down  to  practice.  Dr. 
Drake,  a  born  fighter,  and  renowned  teacher,  gravitated 
between  the  Medical  department  of  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity and  one  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Schools, 
against  one  or  more  of  which,  he  was  constantly  waging 
battle.    In  this  warfare  he  found  a  most  efficient  lieu- 


60  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

tenant  in  his  new  brother-in-law,  Dr.  Joseph  McDowell, 
who  like  Dr.  Drake,  was  at  different  times  connected 
with  Transylvania,  or  one  of  the  Cincinnati  schools. 
And  woe  to  the  one  that,  for  the  time  being,  happened 
to  be  a  rival  of  the  school  with  which  Drs.  Drake  and 
McDowell  were  connected,  for  they  were  both  good  fight- 
ers, not  to  say  haters,  in  which  last,  McDowell  excelled 
all  competitors. 

In  1840  Dr.  McDowell  just  coming  into  his  full  pow- 
ers, went  to  St.  Louis  and  soon  organized  the  Missouri 
Medical  College,  which  as  noted  before,  came  to  be 
known  as  the  "McDowell  College,"  and  for  a  period 
of  twenty  years,  his  fame  as  a  surgeon  pervaded  the 
whole  width  and  well  nigh  the  length  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley.  But  when  the  slave-states  seceded  and  he  threw 
his  all  in  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy,  a  blight  ever 
after  rested  on  his  surgical  career  so  far  as  it  related 
to  his  old  environment.  So  enthusiastic  was  he  in  the 
interests  of  the  South  that  when  he  left  St.  Louis,  for 
the  Confederacy,  he  took  with  him  six  cannon,  seven 
hundred  and  fiftj'^  muskets,  much  other  war  paraphern- 
alia and  in  addition,  scores  of  medical  students. 

All  this  was  in  strange  contrast  to  his  return  from 
the  overturned  Confederacy  as  I  witnessed  it,  and  as  in 
part  narrated  above  when  he  came  North  on  the  same 
steamboat  I  did  at  the  end  of  the  Civil  War  which 
seemingly  found  him  devoid  of  all  possessions,  save  the 
thin  summer  suit  he  had  on.  To  all  appearances,  he  had 
cast  his  all  with  the  short-lived  Confederacy  and  stood 
so  high  in  its  councils  that  he  was  sent  to  Europe  on 
some  important  mission.. 

Dr.  McDowell  was  a  most  eloquent  and  effective 
speaJier  and  at  times  made  temperance  addresses.  One 
address  on  this  subject  was  conceded  to  be  unusually 
eloquent,  and  convincing,  but  during  its  delivery  it  was 
noticed  that  he  had  occasion  to  drink  frequently  from 
a  glass  conveniently  near  at  hand.    Strange  to  say  this 


Medical  Gleanings  From  St.  Louis  61 

glass  contained  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  whiskey 
and  water.  Those  who  heard  him  believed  that  he  was 
wholly  unconscious  of  the  incongruity  of  most  earnestly 
condemning  the  use  of  whiskey  in  one  breath  and  swal- 
lowing it  freely  during  the  next. 

As  intimated  above,  soon  after  the  war,  the  Missouri 
Medical  College  was  renovated,  overhauled  and  put  in 
proper  condition,  a  new  faculty  organized  and  its  doors 
opened  for  the  reception  of  students.  For  a  consider- 
able time  subsequent  to  this  its  amphitheaters  were 
largely  filled  by  southern  students.  The  schools  in  the 
South,  the  region  where  the  immediate  presence  of  war 
left  its  blight,  were  necessarily  broken  up  and  when 
peace  came,  the  impoverished  condition  of  the  centers 
where  medical  colleges  existed  prevented  reorganization 
under  such  circumstances  as  would  admit  of  proper 
equipment  and  commodious  surroundings.  Consequently, 
students  from  both  the  immediate  and  far  South  flocked 
to  the  rehabilitated  Missouri  Medical  College,  where 
the  fact  of  participation,  by  themselves  or  their  fathers, 
on  the  "wrong  side"  in  the  late  war  would  not  for  a 
moment  be  held  as  a  handicap  in  any  way  whatsoever. 

The  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  unlike  its  rival,  con- 
tinued its  sessions  during  the  whole  course  of  the  war 
and  at  the  time  of  my  arrival  in  the  city,  was  supposed 
to  be  in  good  working  order,  as  it  were.  Consequently 
as  soon  as  I  had  found  a  boarding-place  I  immediately 
sought  out  one  of  the  members  of  the  faculty  and  in- 
quired if  there  would  be  a  summer  course  given  by  that 
institution.  The  man  I  called  upon  was  Dr.  John  T. 
Hodgen,  the  well  known  surgeon  who  at  that  time  had 
his  office  in  the  basement  of  the  College  building.  He 
was  in  the  prime  of  manly  vigor,  tall,  straight  as  an 
arrow,  had  high  cheek  bones,  and  bright,  piercing  eyes, 
and  was  a  genial  and  a  suave,  pleasant  gentleman  in 
every  way.  In  reply  to  my  questions  relative  to  a  summer 
course  he  said  that  whole  there  would  be  no  regular  lee- 


62  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

tures  given,  yet  if  I  saw  fit  to  remain,  he  felt  sure  I  would 
find  enough  to  keep  me  busy  and  interested,  all  of  which 
he  stated  in  such  a  frank,  simple  manner,  that  I  at  once 
made  up  my  mind  to  "take  my  chances,"  as  the  phrase 
goes.  Later  I  took  quarters  in  the  College  building  in  a 
room  over  Dr.  Hodgen's  office  where  I  had  for  room- 
mate a  young  man  eighteen  years  of  age,  by  the  name 
of  Isaac  Love,  and  a  nephew  of  the  great  surgeon.  As 
time  went  by  I  got  very  well  acquainted  with  Dr.  Hodg- 
en,  frequently  visited  patients  with  him  and  assisted  in 
some  of  his  operations.  One  day  he  referred  to  his 
nephew,  who  was  a  member  of  his  immediate  family, 
and  said,  "I  don't  know  whether  Isaac  will  ever  de- 
velop into  much  of  a  man,  or  not,"  said  furthermore 
he  was  discouraged  when  he  thought  of  his  future.  As 
I  had  then  been  rooming  with  the  young  man  for  some 
little  time,  and  was  several  years  his  senior,  I  thought 
I  was  in  a  position  to  express  an  opinion.  Consequently 
I  listened  to  all  that  Dr.  Hodgen  had  to  say  and  then 
replied  by  saying  that  I  considered  him  an  especially 
promising  boy  and  felt  sure  he  would  grow  into  a  bright 
man.  Dr.  Hodgen  seemed  interested  and  pleased  and 
when  I  was  through  speaking,  said,  ' '  Do  you  think  so  ? " 
To  which  I  replied,  "I  certainly  do."  The  lapse  of 
time  proved  the  correctness  of  my  prediction,  for  it 
is  but  recently  that  the  whole  country  regretted  the 
death  of  the  brilliant  and  well  known  Dr.  Isaac  N.  Love. 
One  day  a  showy,  flashily  dressed  young  man  came 
in  Dr.  Hodgen's  office  and  asked  him  for  the  privilege 
of  doing  some  special  work  in  the  dissecting  room.  A 
favorable  answer  was  given  and  after  a  discussion  of 
details,  the  young  man  pulled  out  a  big  roU  of  bills 
and  paid  the  required  sum  charged.  He  was  provided 
with  a  fine  subject,  a  well  developed  negro,  and  later 
went  to  the  dissecting  room  two  or  three  times,  where 
he  smoked  expensive  cigars,  hacked  a  little  at  the  ca- 
daver and  then  failed  to  return.    Taking  in  the  situa- 


Medical,  Gleanings  From  St.  Louis  63 

tion,  Dr.  Hodgen  one  day  said  to  me,  "Johnson,  that 
young  duck  has  left  a  fine  subject  in  the  dissecting 
room ;  can  you  make  any  use  of  it  ? "  Of  course  I  an- 
swered that  I  could,  and  so,  hour  after  hour  I  worked 
in  the  dissecting  room,  over  this  subject  all  alone,  and 
as  warm  weather  was  approaching,  I  went  sometimes 
of  nights  when  my  surroundings  were  especially  lonely, 
not  to  say,  gruesome.  Well,  the  result  was  that  in  the 
end  I  got  no  little  information  in  anatomy  at  first  hand, 
and  without  cost  to  me,  for  when  I  offered  to  pay  for 
my  privileges,  Dr.  Hodgen  said,  "No,  Johnson,  you 
don't  have  to;  that  stylish  fellow  did  the  paying  and 
you've  had  the  cake  I" 

Another  time  I  came  in  the  office  pretty  soon  after 
dinner  and  before  Dr.  Hodgen  had  returned,  when  I 
found  sitting  by  the  table  the  antipode  in  appearance 
to  the  young  man  who  had  engaged  the  subject  for  dis- 
section. The  last  named  caller,  was  young,  and  though 
the  day  was  warm,  had  on  an  old  well-worn  cap,  and 
was  shabbily  dressed  in  every  way.  When  I  came  in, 
he  was  reading  a  medical  journal  and  seemed  much 
interested,  but  pretty  soon  laid  this  down  and  began  the 
conversation  by  asking  if  I  was  a  doctor.  I  answered, 
"No,  but  I  hope  to  be  some  time."  "Then  you  are  a 
medical  student,  I  take  it,"  he  observed,  in  reply.  When 
I  pleaded  guilty  to  the  accusation,  he  looked  sad  as  he 
continued,  "Well,  I  used  to  be."  By  this  time  I  had 
become  interested  and  said,  "Did  you  give  it  up?" 
"Not  till  I  had  graduated,"  he  answered,  "Oh,"  I  now 
said,  "then  you  are  in  practice?"  I  do  not  remember  the 
exact  words,  but  during  the  conversation  it  developed 
that  he  was  a  graduate  in  medicine,  but  that  luck  had 
gone  against  him  and  he  was  now  working  at  ordinary 
labor.  So  that  here  was  one  of  those  medical  derelicts, 
that  one  sometimes  meets,  drifting,  drifting,  over  life's 
uncertain  sea. 

It  turned  out  that  there  were  a  number  of  medical 


64  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

students  in  St.  Louis,  who  like  myself,  were  desirous 
of  receiving  instruction  and  consequently  a  class  was 
formed  and  certain  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  St. 
Louis  Medical  College  gave  us  every  opportunity  in 
their  power.  We  had  medical  and  surgical  clinics  at 
the  Cit}^  hospital  and  at  a  Catholic  hospital,  the  name 
of  which  I  do  not  recall,  where  Dr.  Gregory  operated 
before  us  and  gave  clinical  lectures.  Here  also  we  had 
clinical  instruction  from  Dr.  Green,  then  just  entering 
upon  his  successful  career  as  oculist. 

At  the  college  we  were  favored  with  anatomical  in- 
struction from  the  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy,  Dr.  Mc- 
Dowell, son  of  Dr.  Joseph  N.  McDowell,  the  famous 
surgeon  of  the  rival  institution,  The  Missouri  Medical 
College.  Unlike  his  noted  father,  young  McDowell  was 
the  very  embodiment  of  gentility  and  propriety  in  both 
word  and  deed.  He  dissected  and  demonstrated  a  hu- 
man brain  for  us  and  we  were  struck  and  delighted 
with  his  scholarly  attainments,  and  were  made  to  realize 
that  he  was  like  his  father  in  one  particular,  namely,  a 
born  teacher. 

Our  principal  medical  instructor  was  a  man  whose 
name  I  have  forgotten,  much  to  my  regret.  He  was  a 
man  of  middle  age,  verj^  gentlemanly  and  was  one  of 
those  pains-taking,  conscientious  practitioners  one  liked 
to  meet.  Another  man  who  taught  us  and  aided  us  in 
any  way  he  could,  was  a  Dr.  Prewitt,  who  had  but  re- 
cently moved  into  the  city  from  the  interior  of  Missouri. 
He  was  a  single  man  in  mature  life  and  slept  in  a  suite 
of  rooms  in  connection  with  his  office,  and,  at  one  time, 
having  occasion  to  go  out  of  the  city  for  a  few  days, 
asked  me  to  occupy  his  rooms  and  keep  general  track 
of  things  while  he  was  gone.  He  had  a  finely  equipped 
office  for  that  period,  and  a  large  and  well  selected  li- 
brary to  which  for  the  time  being  I  had  access.  Some 
of  his  works  on  anatomy  and  surgery  had  very  fine 
plates  which  must  have  cost  a  good  deal.    He  further- 


Medical  Gleanings  From  St.  Louis  65 

more,  had  well  prepared  skeletons,  manikins  and  other 
appliances  for  both  learning  and  teaching.  All  in  and 
about  his  office  was  especially  attractive  to  me,  a  poor 
medical  student,  from  the  country.  Naturally  I  wond- 
ered if  such  an  environment  would  ever  be  mine. 

Dr.  Hodgen  in  addition  to  giving  us  clinical  instruc- 
tion, from  time  to  time  delivered  before  us  didactic  lec- 
tures that  were  especially  clear  and  interesting.  These 
were  not  always  confined  to  surgical  subjects,  and  in 
this  connection  I  recall  one  that  he  gave  us  and  that  was 
suggested  after  the  reading  of  Brown-Sequard's  work 
on  the  Physiology  and  Pathology  of  the  Nervous  System, 
a  work  in  every  way  worthy  of  its  famous  author,  and 
just  issued  from  the  press.  As  elsewhere  stated,  Dr. 
Hodgen  had  his  office  in  the  College  Building,  and  con- 
siderable numbers  of  poor  people  came  here  for  treat- 
ment. One  day  a  man  came  in  and  desired  to  have  re- 
moved what  seemed  to  be  an  enlarged  sebaceous  gland 
on  his  scalp.  It  was  before  the  days  of  local  anesthesia 
and  after  cautioning  the  patient  to  "grit  his  teeth  and 
stiffen  his  backbone,"  Dr.  Hodgen  began  the  operation, 
which,  however,  proved  to  be  much  more  painful  than 
was  anticipated;  consequently  the  patient  became  very 
nervous  as  he  writhed  under  the  knife.  Strange  to  say 
Dr.  Hodgen  became  correspondingly  nervous,  his  hands 
trembling  very  perceptibly,  and  when  the  blood  spurted 
and  gushed  from  the  wound,  he  appeared  especially 
annoyed  and  surprised.  However,  the  operation  was 
completed,  the  wound  dressed  and  after  the  patient  had 
gone.  Dr.  Hodgen  said  to  me,  "Johnson,  that  wasn't 
an  enlarged  gland ;  it  was  an  aneurism ! ' ' 

Speaking  of  cutting  into  an  aneurism  by  mistake, 
reminds  me  of  a  case  that  has  recently  come  to  my  no- 
tice. Many  years  ago  a  hard-headed  country  doctor  was 
returning  home  at  the  end  of  a  hard  day 's  work.  Sitting 
in  his  gig,  the  reins  were  between  his  knees,  his  horse 
was  jogging  along  and  he  himself  was  almost  asleep. 


66  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Suddenly  from  beside  the  road  appeared  a  man,  who 
stopped  the  doctor,  put  his  foot  on  the  wheel  and  said, 
"Doc,  I  wish  you  would  lance  this  risin'  for  me."  The 
subsequent  events  may  best  be  told  by  the  doctor  in  his 
own  words: — "I  reached  around  for  my  pocket  case, 
got  my  lance  and  jabbed  the  swelling  behind  his  knee. 
And  I  give  you  my  word  the  blood  spurted  four  feet! 
I  made  him  hold  his  finger  over  the  hole  while  I  tore  up 
my  linen  buggy  robe  for  a  bandage.  With  this  I  made 
a  Spanish  windlass  on  my  whip  handle,  and  while  he 
held  this  on  his  thigh,  I  put  him  in  the  buggy  and  drove 
home.  There,  under  chloroform  given  by  a  brother  prac- 
titioner, I  tied  the  artery  in  Scarpa's  triangle;  and — 
do  you  know — that  d — d  fool  got  well!" — (Medical 
Pickwick). 

One  day  Dr.  Hodgen  came  out  of  his  office  closely 
followed  by  a  patient  who  soon  took  his  hat  and  went 
his  way.  Pretty  soon  a  smile  came  over  Dr.  Hodgen 's 
countenance  and  he  said,  "Johnson,  did  you  notice  that 
man  who  went  out?  Well,  he  came  all  the  way  from 
Pike  County,  Illinois,  where  I  used  to  live,  for  me  to 
examine  his  lungs,  and  though  I  told  him  that  he  had 
better  go  to  some  one  who  made  a  specialty  of  such 
things,  that  I  was  a  surgeon,  etc.,  he  would  not  listen  to 
this,  but  would  have  me  go  over  his  chest.  Well,  as 
nothing  else  would  do,  I  thumped  his  lungs  pretty  lively 
and  found  out  that  he  was  a  great  deal  more  scared 
than  hurt  and  told  him  so.  I  charged  him  a  good  fee, 
and  he  went  away  happj'.  Of  course,  I  didn't  know 
much  about  his  lungs,  and  to  keep  him  from  finding  out 
this,  I  put  on  a  bold  face  and  charged  well  for  my 
services. ' ' 

At  this  time  the  founder  of  the  St.  Louis  Medical 
College,  Dr.  Charles  A.  Pope,  was  traveling  in  Europe. 
He  was  a  very  able  surgeon;  had  been  president  of  the 
American  Medical  Association  and  later  becoming 
wealthy,   was  now  getting  some  pleasure  out  of  life. 


Medical.  Gleanings  From  St.  Louis  67 

Some  years  later  he  died,  it  is  said,  by  his  own  hand. 
There  was  sadness  connected  with  the  death  of  another 
St.  Louis  surgeon  about  the  same  time  who  while  I  was 
in  St.  Louis  was  one  of  our  instructors,  and  whose  name 
was  Horace  Clarke,  At  the  City  Hospital  he  gave  us 
both  clinical  and  didactic  lectures.  He  was  in  the  prime 
of  young  manhood,  was  a  most  ingenious  surgeon  and 
manifested  every  disposition  to  assist  us  students  in  any 
way  he  could.  He  sometimes  talked  to  us  familiarly 
about  our  future  prospects  and  seemed  interested  in  our 
welfare  in  general.  I  remember  of  his  speaking  of  the 
hardships  of  country  practice  not  a  little  of  which  he 
had  only  recently  gone  through  at  Paris,  111.,  his  loca- 
tion previous  to  coming  to  St.  Louis.  Before  he  reached 
middle  life  he  had  the  misfortune  to  die  from  chloroform 
narcosis,  the  details  of  which  I  never  learned. 

There  was  also  a  good  deal  of  sadness  connected  with 
the  death  of  Dr.  Hodgen,  which  occurred  some  years 
later.  It  seems  that  he  had  for  some  time  been  a  sufferer 
from  pain  in  the  bowels,  and  one  day  the  attack  returned 
with  especial  suddeness  and  severity  when  he  was  driv- 
ing, but  fortunately,  only  a  little  way  from  his  home. 
Accordingly,  he  put  whip  to  his  horse,  reached  his  resi- 
dence, got  out  of  the  buggy,  and  by  a  great  effort,  man- 
aged to  climb  up  the  steps,  pass  through  the  front  door, 
reach  a  bed  where  he  laid  down  and  a  little  later  died. 

Finally,  to  one  more  whom  I  knew  that  summer  in 
St.  Louis,  death  came  suddenly,  and  absolutely  without 
warning.  I  refer  to  Dr.  Isaac  N.  Love,  who,  it  will  be 
remembered  was  for  a  time  my  room  mate.  A  number 
of  years  ago  the  passengers  on  an  ocean  steamer,  on 
which  Dr.  Love  was  returning  from  the  sea,  realizing 
that  they  had  been  exceptionally  well  treated,  as  they 
came  in  sight  of  New  York,  called  a  meeting  for  the 
purpose  of  appropriately  expressing  their  satisfaction 
to  the  captain  and  officers  of  the  vessel.  A  number  were 
assembled  in  the  cabin  and  the  meeting  had  made  some 


68  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

progress  when  Dr.  Love  made  an  effort  to  rise  to  his  feet, 
and  in  an  instant,  dropped  over  dead,  the  result  of 
cerebral  hemorrhage. 

I  am  of  the  impression  that  there  was  little  if  any, 
of  the  oldtime  enmitj'^  between  the  Missouri  Medical 
College  and  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  following  the 
reorganization  of  the  former  after  the  Civil  War,  any- 
way, recently  their  relations  became  so  harmonious  that 
they  were  consolidated,  and  became  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  Washington  University.  A  consummation 
that  two  generations  ago,  the  most  sanguine  optimist 
would  not  have  dared  to  prophesy. 

One  Sunday  Dr.  Hodgen  asked  me  to  ride  with  him 
and  after  a  li+tle,  we  stopped  at  a  house,  where  his  pa- 
tient proved  to  be  a  boy  of  about  fifteen  with  a  long 
ulee"  on  the  innner  side  of  one  of  his  legs ;  Dr.  Hodgen 
laid  out  his  instruments  and  after  talking  to  the  patient 
a  moment,  picked  up  a  strong  pair  of  forceps,  grasped 
the  upper  end  of  the  fibula,  and  lifted  nearly  the  v^hole 
of  the  bone  from  the  ulcerous  mass  in  which  it  lay.  This 
was  what  we  termed  necrosis  in  those  days,  and  cer- 
tainly an  aggravated  case,  but  what  the  subsequent 
history  was,  I  do  not  know. 

Dr.  Gregory  was  a  skillful  surgeon  connected  with 
the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  and  the  fact  that  he  was 
sufferer  from  ptosis  of  one  eyelid  gave  him  a  peculiar 
appearance.  He  was,  however,  genial  and  every  one  liked 
him.  Both  he  and  Dr.  Hodgen  were  each  later  honored 
with  the  presidency  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion. 

While  I  was  rooming  with  young  Isaac  Love,  in  the 
Medical  College  Building,  I  purposely  got  my  meals  at 
a  boarding  house  about  a  mile  away  that  I  might  get 
the  exercise  which  the  walks  to  and  fro  necessitated. 
My  landlady  was  a  Swede  and  there  came  a  time  when 
money  expected  was  for  a  rather  long  period  delayed 
in  reaching  me.   Several  times  I  apologized  to  my  land- 


Medical,  Gleanings  From  St.  Louis  69 

lady  but  she  said  it  was  all  right  and  for  me  to  come 
right  along  and  eat  my  meals.  Finally  the  money  came 
and  when  I  settled  my  board  bill  I  said  to  her,  "You 
ran  a  great  risk  in  trusting  me,  as  I  had  no  baggage 
here,  roomed  a  long  distance  away  and  almost  any  time 
could  have  failed  to  return."  In  reply  she  said,  "O 
Meester  Shonson,  yu's  got  sooch  an  honest  face  I  knew 
it  was  all  right." 

In  speaking  of  Dr.  Hodgen,  I  neglected  to  say  that 
he  was  quite  studious  and  kept  abreast  of  things,  the 
fact  of  my  rooming  in  the  College  Building  gave  me 
access  to  his  office  and  I  thus  learned  a  good  deal  of  his 
habits  and  methods.  That  spring  he  had  just  got  an 
ophthalmoscope  and  was  learning  the  use  of  it.  The 
thought  came  to  me  that  possibly  a  beef's  eye  might  be 
utilized  in  this  way,  and  consequently,  one  afternoon  I 
took  a  long  Avalk  to  a  slaughter  house,  and  got  two  fresh 
beef  eyes  and  gave  them  to  Dr.  Hodgen  who  seemed 
pleased,  but  with  what  success  he  used  the  ophthalmo- 
scope upon  them  I  do  not  remember. 

I  can  not  recall  going  to  any  lecture,  concert  or  any 
kind  of  amusement  while  in  St.  Louis  that  spring.  I 
do,  however,  remember  going  to  hear  a  much  advertised 
address  delivered  by  the  famous  Robert  Dale  Owen  and 
was  disappointed  when  I  heard  it.  I  went  to  church 
nearly  every  Sunday  and  heard  a  number  of  the  ablest 
pulpit  men  in  the  city. 

One  Sunday  evening  I  was  out  walking  with  two 
acquaintances  when  it  was  suggested  that  we  go  to 
church,  but  where,  none  of  us  seemed  to  know  or  care. 
We  walked  on  and  on  and  at  last  came  to  a  church  and 
went  in  to  find  the  congregation  on  its  feet  and  singing 
what  proved  to  be  one  of  the  longest  hymns  I  ever  heard 
sung.  At  last  the  end  came  and  the  preacher  engaged 
in  prayer  and  what  was  our  surprise  to  find  that  this 
was  in  German !  As  no  one  of  us  was  familiar  with  the 
language,  we  went  out  as  soon  as  the  prayer  ended. 


70  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

In  that  period  the  Eads  bridge  across  the  Mississippi 
was  building,  but  had  not  long  been  in  process  of  con- 
struction. Steamboating  was  not  then  the  abandoned 
means  of  traffic  and  travel  that  it  has  come  to  be  today 
and  consequently,  there  were  yet  many  fine  boats  on 
the  river.  To  see  these  I  frequently  went  to  near  the 
water's  edge  and  watched  them  come  in  and  go  out,  al- 
ways a  beautiful  sight. 

In  due  time  my  summer's  work  in  St.  Louis  drew 
to  a  close,  and  meanwhile,  I  was  made  to  realize  that 
I  could  not  remain  in  the  city  on  account  of  the  Mississ- 
ippi River  water  which  rekindled  attacks  of  a  trouble, 
(chronic  diarrhoea),  I  had  cantracted  during  my  army 
service.  These  attacks  I  tried  every  way  to  head  off, 
but  come  they  would.  Finally  I  left  the  city  and  its 
water-supply  and  went  to  my  brothers  in  the  country 
where  home-cooking  and  the  use  of  ordinary  well-water 
soon  put  me  in  fair  condition. 


VII 


MEDICINE  IN  1868 

The  means  that  Heaven  yields  must  be  embraced 

And  not  neglected, 

Shakespeare. 

IN  1868  the  Civil  War  was  but  three  years  in  the  past 
and  hence  the  medicine  of  that  date  was  essentially 
Civil  War  medicine.  And  although  Pasteur  had  begun 
his  epoch-making  work  in  revealing  the  ravages  of  patho- 
genic organisms  the  science  of  bacteriology  was  as  yet  an 
unopened  book ;  and  although  Lister  was  working  assidu- 
ously to  devise  means  for  the  prevention  of  infection  the 
world  had  no  appreciation  of  the  all-important  possibili- 
ties for  good  or  evil  conveyed  in  the  simple  words,  sepis 
and  asepsis.  Among  the  more  prominent  medical  men  of 
that  era  in  America,  was  George  B.  Wood  of  Philadel- 
phia, author  of  an  exceptionally  popular  work  on  prac- 
tice, of  another  equally  popular  one  on  materia  medica 
and  therapeutics ;  moreover,  he  was  one  of  the  authors  of 
the  United  States  Dispensatory,  a  work  that  holds  its 
own  till  this  day.  Another  able  Philadelphia  physician 
was  Robley  Dunglison,  the  author  of  numerous  medical 
books,  indeed,  he  is  said  to  have  covered  about  every  sub- 
ject in  the  whole  field  of  medicine,  save  surgery.  A  less 
widely  known  Philadelphia  medical  man  was  W.  W.  Ger- 
hard, who  a  generation  before  had  made  a  most  careful 
study  of  tjT^hus  and  typhoid  fever  that  all  could  see  and 
understand,  and  as  a  result,  the  more  progressive  in  the 
profession  were  not  long  in  "  catching-on, "  and  recog- 
nized typhoid  as  a  distinct  disease.  One  of  the  most 
learned  anatomists  of  this  period  was  Joseph  Leidy  of 
Philadelphia,  author  of  a  work  on  anatomy  said  to  be 

71 


72  Sixty  Years  m  the  Medical  Harness 

illustrated  by  himself.  The  best  known  and  ablest  sur- 
geon of  that  era  was  Samuel  D.  Gross,  author  of  a  large, 
two-volume  work  on  surgery,  besides  several  treatises  on 
subjects  pertaining  to  pathology  and  allied  topics.  Fur- 
thermore, he  contributed  no  little  to  the  history  of  medi- 
cine, particularly  in  America.  Indeed,  up  to  that  time 
no  one  more  than  he  had  labored  earnestly  to  bring 
American  Medicine  and  Surgery  to  the  notice  of  Eu- 
ropeans. He  will  always  be  remembered  as  the  greatest 
surgeon  that  this  country  produced  in  the  nineteenth 
century. 

Hugh  L.  Hodge,  Professor  of  Midwifery  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  and  Charles  D.  Meigs,  of  the 
same  Chair,  in  Jefferson  Medical  College,  were  the  great 
obstetric  lights  in  this  country.  They  were  both  men 
of  ability,  authors  of  several  works,  pertaining  to  their 
specialties,  and  sad  to  say,  both  to  the  last  maintained 
that  puerperal  fever  was  not  contagious,  and  in  effect 
was  an  essential  fever,  somewhat  like  typhus  and  ty- 
phoid. 

At  this  period,  Philadelphia  was  the  medical  center 
of  the  United  States  and  had  the  well-merited  distinction 
of  having  produced  more  distinguished  men  in  the  pro- 
fession and  more  authors  of  standard  medical  works  than 
any  city  in  America.  Furthermore,  it  had  always  been 
the  home  of  the  American  Journal  of  Medical  Sciences, 
one  of  the  very  best  periodicals  in  the  English  language. 

In  Boston  lived,  and  for  a  long  time  had  practiced, 
Jacob  Bigelow,  author  of  "Self-Limited  Diseases,"  and 
a  wise  physician,  in  many  particulars,  ahead  of  his  time. 
In  that  city  also  abided  the  brilliant  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes,  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  Harvard  and  a  bright 
and  shining  light  in  American  literature,  wherein  he  had 
such  co-workers  as  Longfellow,  Lowell,  Whittier,  Emer- 
son and  Bryant.  A  full  quarter  of  a  century  before 
Holmes  had  published  a  most  important  article,  showing 


Medicine  in  1868  73 

that  puerperal  fever  was  a  highly  contagious  disease,  and 
that  doctors,  nurses  and  contaminated  articles,  were  very 
often  its  purveyors.  Sad  to  say,  what  Holmes  had  said 
on  this  most  important  subject,  was  for  many  years  un- 
heeded— the  great  lights  in  the  profession,  as  noted 
above,  were  non-contagionists.  Dr.  Henry  J.  Bigelow, 
was  a  leading,  if  not,  indeed,  the  leading  Boston  sur- 
geon, and  had  the  distinction  of  being  present  when  on 
October  16,  1846,  Dr.  John  C.  Warren  performed  the 
first  public  surgical  operation  under  sulphuric  ether  ad- 
ministered, as  it  was,  by  Dr.  W,  T.  6.  Morton. 

The  leading  New  York  City  practitioners  of  that  day 
were  Alonzo  Clark  and  Austin  Flint,  the  last  named  an 
author  of  great  merit.  Flint's  work  on  Practice  had 
only  come  from  the  press  a  short  time  before,  but  in 
many  particulars  was  the  best  of  its  kind  during  the 
whole  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Flint  was  a  master  of 
the  art  of  clear  expression  and  concise  statement,  both  of 
which  so  many  authors  lack. 

William  A.  Hammond,  Ex-Surgeon  General  of  the 
United  States  Army,  was  a  noted  New  York  practitioner, 
inclined  to  be  sensational,  but  who  did  good  work  in 
nervous  diseases. 

This  leads  me  to  say  that  in  speaking  of  Philadelphia 
practitioners,  I  neglected  to  name  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  the 
leading  American  neurologist  of  his  day,  a  clear,  clean 
writer  on  medical  subjects,  a  gifted  author  in  general 
literature,  with  many  interesting  works  to  his  credit.  He 
saw  much  service  as  a  Civil  War  surgeon. 

Among  noted  New  York  surgeons  were  Willard 
Parker,  Louis  A.  Sayre,  etc.,  but  perhaps  New  York's 
most  popular  surgeon  was  Valentine  Mott  who  died  in 
1867. 

In  Chicago  N.  S.  Davis,  Father  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  was  the  leading  teacher  and  prac- 
titioner of  medicine.     That  city's  two  most  prominent 


74  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

surgeons  were  Edmund  Andrews  and  Moses  Gunn, 
both  of  whom  had  occupied  chairs  in  the  University  of 
Michigan.  Dr.  Gunn's  dexterity  with  the  knife  has  al- 
ready been  referred  to  and  Dr.  Andrews  was  one  of  the 
most  scholarly  men  of  his  day  in  the  profession. 

In  Cincinnati,  Roberts  Bartholow,  easily  led  in  in- 
ternal medicine  and  was  the  author  of  several  excellent 
medical  works.  Two  of  these,  one  on  Practice  and  the 
other  on  Therapeutics  were  especially  well  received  and 
long  held  a  place  as  popular  text-books.  Later  Dr. 
Bartholow  accepted  a  position  in  the  faculty  of  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  and  removed  to  that  city 
where  his  last  days  were  passed.  George  C.  Blackman 
was  long  a  leader  of  surgery  in  Cincinnati  and  the  coun- 
try contiguous  thereto. 

In  g^'neeology,  Marion  Sims  of  New  York  City  had 
a  world-wide  reputation,  and  the  brothers  John  L.  and 
Washington  L.  Atlee  of  Pennsylvania,  were  doing  many 
ovariotomies  when  that  operation  required  much  skill 
and  no  little  daring  on  the  part  of  the  operator.  John 
L.  Atlee  did  seventy-eight  ovariotomies  and  his  brother 
Washington  L.  Atlee  three  hundred  eighty  seven,  most 
of  them  in  the  pre-asepsis  period,  but  nevertheless  with 
a  remarkable  proportion  of  recoveries. 

In  this  period  the  leading  practitioners  in  England 
were  among  others,  Sir  William  W.  GuU,  Sir  Samuel 
Wilks,  Sir  William  Jenner,  Sir  Thomas  Watson,  and 
John  Hughes  Bennett,  the  last  two  authors  of  works  on 
Practice.  Watson 's  work  was  so  popular  that  it  became 
almost  a  classic  with  students  and  practitioners.  Ben- 
nett's Practice  was  largely  a  bedside-clinic  volume  and 
was  well  received  in  its  day. 

The  leading  English  surgeons  of  that  period  were  Sir 
James  Paget  and  Sir  Jonathan  Hutchinson.  Paget  was 
the  author  of  "Surgical  Pathology,"  a  most  readable 
book  that  was  the  vogue  for  a  long  period.    He  also  pub- 


Medicine  in  1868  75 

lished  other  works  that  were  popular  with  the  profession. 
Hutchinson  published  a  number  of  volumes  under  the 
title,  "Archives  of  Surgery,"  that  came  to  be  of  great 
value  as  they  are  largely  clinical. 

In  this  period  Scotland  produced  some  exceptionally 
able  men,  among  whom  were  Sir  William  Fergusson  and 
James  Syme.  Fergusson  was  a  pioneer  in  conservative 
surgery  and  made  it  a  point  to  save  every  part  possible. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  rapid  operators  of  his  time,  his 
training  and  much  of  his  work  occurred  in  the  pre- 
anesthesia  era,  when  speed  in  operations  was  most  de- 
sirable. Syme  was  one  of  the  first  to  recommend  excis- 
sion  in  place  of  amputation  and  thus  saved  many  limbs 
that  proved  to  be  relatively  useful.  Syme  was  the  pre- 
ceptor and  father-in-law  of  Joseph  Lister,  the  father  of 
asepsis  in  surgery.  Lister,  an  English  Quaker,  was  in 
the  midst  of  his  era-making  work  and  the  year  before 
had  published  a  paper  with  the  title,  ' '  On  the  Anti-septic 
Principle  in  the  Practice  of  Surgery. ' '  He  was  the  first 
to  make  use  of  Carbolic  Acid  as  an  anti-septic,  success- 
fully. Practically  every  surgeon  of  that  day  welcomed 
the  appearance  of  "laudable  pus,"  and  was  content  to 
get  healing  of  surfaces  by  granulation.  Lister  believed 
that  union  by  first  intention  was  possible  and  resolutely 
set  out  to  get  this.  As  all  the  world  knows  he  was  emi- 
nently successful  in  his  quest.  He  was  little  known  in 
the  era  of  which  I  write,  but  later  his  work  was  "read 
of  all  men"  and  finally  he  was  knighted  and  given  the 
well-earned  place  of  one  of  the  three  greatest  surgeons  of 
all  time — John  Hunter  and  Ambrose  Pare  being  the 
other  two. 

One  of  the  world's  greatest  obstetric  and  gynecologi- 
cal lights  was  Sir  James  Y.  Simpson,  who  filled  the  chair 
of  Midwifery  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh.  He  was 
the  first  to  use  choloroform  as  an  anesthetic  in  labor, 
introduced  the  long  obstetric  forceps  and  the  wire-suture. 


76  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Sir  Thomas  Spencer  Wells,  known  familiarly  as 
Spencer  Wells,  was  the  greatest  ovariotomist  of  his  time 
and  patients  flocked  to  him  from  all  over  the  world. 

In  France,  Trousseau,  the  great  clinician,  had  just 
died,  but  Charcot,  the  great  neurologist,  was  in  his 
prime;  likewise,  Claude  Bernard,  a  physiologist,  of 
world-wide  reputation,  was  active  in  his  chosen  field.  He 
was  the  first  physiologist  to  recognize  the  "internal 
secretions."  "The  gate  to  this  path  was  opened  by  Ber- 
nard, ' '  said  Sir  Michael  Foster,  his  biographer.  Nelaton, 
one  of  the  great  surgeons  of  his  time,  and  consultant  to 
Napoleon  III  was  in  his  ripest  years.  Velpeau  and 
Malgaigne,  great  French  surgeons,  had  just  died.  A 
prominent  character  in  the  medical  world  at  this  time 
was  Brown-Sequard,  a  student  of  Claude  Bernard's  and 
a  great  physiologist,  who  had  much  to  do  in  extending 
our  knowledge  of  the  internal  secretions. 

In  Germany,  Langenbeck,  was  a  surgeon  known 
where  ever  his  art  was  practiced,  but  the  most  famous 
medical  man  of  that  country  was  Virchow,  of  Berlin, 
perhaps  the  greatest  pathologist  that  ever  lived.  How- 
ever, only  a  little  less  renowned  than  Virchow  was  Roki- 
tansky,  a  native  of  Bohemia,  and  a  pathologist,  excelled 
only  by  his  great  Berlin  rival. 

Pirogoff  was  the  great  surgeon  of  Russia  and  one  of 
the  world's  great  military  surgeons.  Contemplating  the 
extreme  septic  and  unsanitary  conditions  attending  it  he 
pronounced  war  a  "traumatic  epidemic." 

Among  the  most  used  medical  text-books  in  the  Civil 
War  Era  of  American  publications,  were  George  B. 
Wood's  "Practice  of  Medicine,"  Flint's  "Practice  of 
Medicine,"  Samuel  D.  Gross'  "System  of  Surgery" 
(two  large  volumes),  Hugh  L.  Hodge's  "Principles  and 
Practice  of  Obstetrics,"  Charles  D.  Meig's  "Science  and 
Art  of  Midwifery,"  Dunglison's  "Medical  Dictionary," 
J.  Lewis  Smith's  "Diseases  of  Infancy  and  Childhood," 


Medicine  in  1868  77 

Frank  H.  Hamilton's  "Fractures  and  Dislocation,"  J. 
M.  DaCosta's  "Medical  Diagnosis,"  J.  C.  Dalton's 
"Human  Physiology,"  George  B.  Wood's  "Therapeu- 
tics and  Pharmocology, "  Beck's  "Materia  Medica," 
Joseph  Leidy's  "Human  Anatomy,"  etc. 

The  following  were  for  the  most  part  English  publica- 
tions, or  rather  English  authors  of  works  re-published  in 
America : 

Thomas  Watson's  "Practice  of  Physic,"  Williams' 
"Principles  of  Medicine,"  Frichsen's  "Science  and  Art 
of  Surgery,"  Druitt's  "Principles  and  Practice  of 
Modern  Surgery,"  Churchill's  "Theory  and  Practice  of 
Midwifery,"  Wells'  "Diseases  of  the  Eye,"  Toynbee's 
"Diseases  of  the  Ear,"  Taylor's  "Medical  Jurispru- 
dence," Fowne's  "Chemistry,"  Brande  and  Taylor's 
"Chemistry,"  William  Aitkin's  "Science  and  Practice 
of  Medicine,"  Gray's  "Descriptive  and  Surgical  Anato- 
my," Paget 's  "Surgical  Pathology,"  Charles  West's 
"Diseases  of  Infancy  and  Childhood,"  "Diseases  of 
Women ' '  by  the  same  author. 

Some  of  the  above  works  I  had  procured  while  a  stu- 
dent, and  young  practitioner  and  others  among  them  I 
would  gladly  have  purchased  had  my  limited  means  per- 
mitted. I  recall  how  my  mouth  almost  watered  when  I 
first  saw  Aitkins'  two-volume  work  on  Practice,  and  I 
felt  almost  the  same  longing  when  I  looked  on  the  two- 
volume  surgery  of  Gross.  However,  I  made  some  good 
selections  and  managed  to  get  passably  familiar  with  a 
number  of  good  authors.  Among  these,  Watson  was  my 
favorite  for  he  had  the  rare  faculty  of  winning  and  hold- 
ing the  attention  of  the  reader.  So  true  was  this  that  one 
might  open  him  on  almost  any  page  and  begin  reading  at 
almost  any  paragraph  and  in  a  very  little  while  would 
become  absorbed  in  the  text  and  next  to  unconsciously, 
read  on  and  on  till  the  end  of  the  chapter  was  reached 
with  surprise  and  disappointment — disappointment  that 


78  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

the  chapter  was  not  longer.  Someone  has  said  that  that  is 
a  rare  book,  indeed,  which  the  reader  finishes  with  the 
wish  that  it  were  longer.  Watson's  Practice  is  a  roj^al 
octavo  of  more  than  1200  pages,  yet  few  who  read  the 
book  were  glad  when  it  was  finished.  The  work  was 
made  up  of  a  series  of  lectures,  delivered  by  Watson  in 
1835-6  and  as  illustrative  of  his  style,  I  quote  the  follow- 
ing from  his  introductory : 

"But  amid  all  the  responsibilities,  gentlemen,  both 
of  teacher  and  learner,  the  profession  which  you  and  I 
have  chosen,  or  which  circumstances  have  prescribed  to 
us,  is  a  noble  profession,  and  worthy  the  devotion  of  a 
life-time.  If  you  fit  yourselves  now  for  its  high  func- 
tions, and  pursue  it  hereafter  in  earnestness  and  truth, 
it  will  probably  conduct  you  to  an  honorable  competence, 
and  it  will  surely  prove  a  salutary  school  of  mental  and 
moral  discipline.  Trials,  no  doubt  belong  to  it,  and  diffi- 
culties ;  but  it  has  also  privileges  and  immunities  peculiar 
to  itself.  Affording  ample  scope  and  exercise  for  the  in- 
tellect, it  is  conversant  with  objects  that  tend  to  elevate 
the  thoughts,  to  temper  the  feelings,  and  to  touch  the 
heart. 

' '  I  have  already  reminded  you  how  it  brings  beneath 
our  minute  and  daily  notice  that  most  remarkable  por- 
tion of  matter,  which  is  destined  to  be  for  a  season  the 
tabernacle  of  the  human  spirit,  and  which  apart  from 
that  singularly  interesting  thought,  excites  increasing 
wonder  and  admiration  the  more  closely  we  investigate 
its  marvelous  construction.  The  sad  varieties  of  human 
pain  and  weakness  with  which  our  daily  vocation  is  fami- 
liar, should  rebuke  our  pride,  while  they  quicken  our 
charity.  To  us  are  entrusted  in  more  than  ordinary 
measure,  opportunities  of  doing  good  to  our  fellow- 
creatures,  of  sho\ving  love  towards  our  neighbor.  Let  us 
beware  how  we  idly  neglect,  or  selfishly  abuse,  a  steward- 
ship so  precious,  yet  so  weighty. 


Medicine  in  1868  79 

"The  profession  of  medicine,  having  for  its  end  the 
common  good  of  mankind,  knows  nothing  of  national 
enmities,  of  political  strife,  of  sectarian  divisions. 
Disease  and  pain  the  sole  conditions  of  its  ministry,  it  is 
disquieted  by  no  misgivings  concerning  the  justice  or 
honesty  of  its  client 's  cause ;  but  discloses  its  peculiar 
benefits,  without  stint  or  scruple,  to  men  of  every  coun- 
try, and  party,  and  rank,  and  religion,  and  to  men  of 
no  religion  at  all.  And  like  the  quality  of  mercy  of 
which  it  is  the  favorite  hand-maid,  'it  blesseth  him  that 
gives  and  him  that  takes';  reading  continually  to  our 
own  hearts  and  understandings  the  most  impressive  les- 
sons, the  most  solemn  warnings.  It  is  ours  to  know  in  how 
many  instances,  forming,  indeed,  a  vast  majority  of  the 
whole,  bodily  sufferings  and  sickness  are  the  natural 
fruits  of  evil  courses ;  of  the  sins  of  our  fathers,  of  our 
own  unbridled  passions,  of  the  malevolent  spirit  of 
others.  We  see,  too,  the  use  of  these  judgments,  which 
are  mercifully  designed  to  recall  men  from  the  strong 
allurements  of  sense,  and  the  slumber  of  temporal  pros- 
perity; teaching  that  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  sometimes 
afflicted.  Familiar  with  death  in  its  manifold  shapes, 
witnessing  from  day  to  day  its  sudden  stroke,  its  slow 
but  open  siege,  its  secret  and  insidious  approaches,  we 
are  not  permitted  to  be  unmindful  that  our  own  stay  also 
is  brief  and  uncertain,  our  opportunities  fleeting,  and 
our  time,  even  when  longest,  very  short,  if  measured  by 
our  wants  and  intellectual  cra\dngs. 

"Surely,  gentlemen,  you  will  not  dare,  without  ade- 
quate and  earnest  preparation,  to  embark  in  a  calling 
such  as  this;  so  capable  of  good  if  rightly  used,  so  full 
of  peril  to  yourselves  and  to  society  if  administered  ig- 
norantly  or  unfaithfully.  And  even  when  you  have 
made  it,  as  you  may,  the  means  of  continual  self-im- 
provement, and  the  channel  of  health  and  of  ease  to 
those  around  you,  let  not  the  influence  you  will  thus  ob- 
tain beget  an  unbecoming  spirit  of  presumption;  but 


80  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

remember  that  in  your  most  successful  efforts,  you  are 
but  the  honored  instruments  of  a  superior  power — that 
after  all  'it  is  God  who  healeth  our  diseases  and  re- 
deemeth  our  life  from  destruction'." 

Gray's  Descriptive  and  Surgical  Anatomy  was  then 
a  recent  publication  and  soon  won,  and  long  sustained, 
the  favor  of  medical  students  and  practitioners  alike, 
mainly  for  its  unequaled  illustrations  with  the  plainly 
printed  name  on  every  anatomical  part.  In  the  sixties 
and  seventies  it  would  have  been  almost  hard  to  find 
a  recent  graduate  in  medicine  who  did  not  have  in  his 
library  a  badly  worn,  and  too  often,  greased  copy  of 
Gray. 

Paget 's  Surgical  Pathology  was  almost  as  attractive 
reading  as  Watson,  which  is  saying  a  good  deal  for  that 
work. 

West's  Diseases  of  Children  was  an  excellent  work 
clothed  in  a  pleasing  style  that  made  it  easy  reading,  and 
a  delight  to  follow  the  author. 

There  were  more  medical  journals  in  the  Civil  War 
Era  than  there  are  today.  Indeed,  every  large  city  had 
two,  sometimes  three.  All  the  papers  and  transactions 
of  the  American  Medical  Association  were  published  in 
book-form  and  the  Journal  of  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation had  not  yet  come  in  the  field  to  supplant  many 
other  medical  periodicals. 

As  elsewhere  noted  the  American  Journal  of  Medi- 
cal Sciences  easily  led  all  the  rest  in  ability  and  in- 
fluence. This  was  a  Quarterly  and  from  the  same  office 
there  was  issued  each  month  The  Medical  News  which 
kept  in  pretty  close  touch  with  current  medical  matters 
as  they  transpired. 

I  have  in  my  library  the  first  copies  of  the  American 
Journal  of  Medical  Sciences,  published  nearly  a  hundred 
years  ago  and  to  which  the  ablest  medical  men  in 
America  were  contributors. 


Medicine  in  1868  81 

As  in  that  day  works  on  general  pathology  were 
vastly  less  in  evidence  than  is  the  case  today  practically 
every  work  on  practice  and  surgery  devoted  its  opening 
pages  to  a  consideration  of  disease-structure  and  disease- 
processes.  Of  the  last  named  inflammation  easily  had  the 
lead  and  no  work  on  general  surgery  or  general  practice 
neglected  to  consider  it  thoroughly. 

Indeed,  so  important  was  its  discussion  and  con- 
templation deemed  that  some  one  referred  to  inflamma- 
tion as  the  "keystone  to  medical  and  surgical  science" 
— "the  pivot  upon  which  the  medical  philosophy  of  the 
time  revolved." 

As  elsewhere  stated  asepsis  was  not  practiced  because 
it  was  not  understood, — in  fact  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses unknown.  This  being  true  infection  was  at  all 
times  liable  to  attack  wounds  whether  these  were  made 
by  accident  or  by  the  surgeon's  knife.  How  to  prevent 
infection  the  operator  of  that  era  could  but  acknowledge 
himself  in  utter  ignorance.  Hence  with  the  danger  of 
infection  ever  hanging  over  his  operating  table,  like  an- 
other sword  of  Damocles,  what  wonder  that  the  surgeon 
of  the  Civil  "War  Era  was  conservative  and  was  careful 
what  he  cut  into.  Indeed,  so  careful  was  he  and  so  re- 
luctant to  cut  into  certain  structures,  that  it  became  a 
rule  as  inflexible  as  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians 
never  to  willingly  open  a  serous  cavity  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  pleura  which  seemed  to  enjoy  a  relative  im- 
munity to  infection.  Especially  susceptible  to  infection 
were  the  peritoneum,  the  larger  joint  cavities  and  the 
membranes  of  the  brain. 

Owing  largely  to  these  facts  the  surgeon  of  fifty 
years  ago  in  very  large  measure  operated  only  when 
necessity  demanded  it.  In  other  words,  he  was  in  lai^e 
degree  an  emergency  surgeon.  Ovariotomies  and  similar 
operations  were  done  almost  wholly  by  operators  from 
the  larger  centers  of  population.    Such  a  thing  as  an  ex- 


82  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

ploratory  operation  was  unheard  of  and  would  have  been 
severely  criticised  had  it  been  made. 

As  the  X-Ray  was  yet  long  in  the  future,  much  that 
this  today  brings  out  in  the  lime-light,  so  to  speak,  had 
in  that  time  to  be  done  in  the  dark,  as  it  were.  Especially 
was  this  true  of  fractures  which  the  surgeon  had  often- 
times to  ''set"  practically,  by  guess. 

While  in  operating,  ordinary  washing  of  hands  and 
instruments  was  always  practiced,  yet  as  a-sepis  was  un- 
known, an  aseptic  condition  of  parts  and  things  impli- 
cated was  of  course  never  aspired  to.  Healing  by  the 
first  intention  was  never  attained,  suppuration  in  an  open 
or  incised  wound  was  always  expected  and  the  appear- 
ance of  laudable  pus  was  always  welcomed.  As  neither 
the  operator  or  his  attendants  ever  changed  their  clothes 
before  or  after  an  operation,  what  wonder  is  it  that  they 
unwittingly  became  carriers  of  infection  and  that  cases 
of  childbed  fever  "sprung  up"  here  and  there  to  worry 
and  embarrass  the  general  practitioner. 

Speaking  of  conditions  in  the  pre-asepsis  era  I  recall 
reading  an  article  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Edmund  An- 
drews, one  of  the  country's  most  progressive  surgeons  in 
his  day,  recommending  that  before  risking  a  major 
operation  on  a  given  patient,  it  might  in  some  instances 
be  well  to  make  an  incision  at  some  point  in  the  patient 's 
anatomy  distant  from  the  site  of  final  operation,  and 
note  how  this  reacts  and  heals ! 

Twent.y-two  years  previously,  namelj^  in  1846,  Dr. 
W.  T.  G.  Morton  made  his  world-wide  famous  demon- 
stration of  ether-anesthesia  at  the  Massachusetts  General 
Hospital  for  Dr.  J.  C.  Warren  to  perform  painlessly  a 
capital  operation  on  one  of  his  patients.  A  little  later, 
Dr.  J.  Y.  Simpson,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  discovered 
that  chloroform  was  even  more  prompt  as  an  anes- 
thetic than  ether.  Both  ether  and  chloroform  were 
freely  used  on  practically  every  battlefield  during  the 


Medicine  in  1868  83 

Civil  War.  Of  the  two,  however,  chloroform  was  very 
much  more  frequently  administered  than  ether  and  this 
practice  continued  for  many  years  subsequent  to  the  war. 

Cocaine  was  not  yet  in  use  and  save  a  freezing  mix- 
ture that  partially  abolished  pain,  local  anesthesia  was 
not  obtainable  by  any  practical  means  at  the  surgeon's 
command. 

The  fever  thermometer  and  the  hypodermic  syringe 
came  in  use  in  the  late  sixties  and  early  seventies. 


VIII 

I  GO  ON  A  QUEST 

What  future  hliss  he  gives  thee  not  to  know. 
But  gives  thee  hope  to  be  thy  blessing  now. 

Selected. 

WITH  the  approach  of  the  summer  of  1868,  at  the 
suggestion  of  my  Preceptor  and  some  other  medi- 
cal friends,  I  decided  if  a  suitable  location  could  be 
found,  to  practice  medicine  for  a  time,  notwithstanding 
the  fact,  that  I  was  as  yet  a  non-graduate.  However, 
this  was  a  not  uncommon  custom,  in  that  day,  and  while 
I  knew  little  enough,  yet  I  really  had  enjoyed  better  op- 
portunities for  qualifying  myself  in  medicine  than  the 
average  graduate  of  that  period.  During  my  three  years 
of  army  service  I  had  put  in  two  years  in  the  medical  de- 
partment of  my  regiment,  and  in  addition  to  my  lecture- 
course  of  six  months  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  I 
had  taken  a  summer  course  in  Chicago  and  a  year  later  a 
summer  course  in  St.  Louis.  At  this  period  Illinois  had 
no  Medical  Practice  Act  and  no  State  Board  of  Health, 
consequently  medicine  was  open  to  any  and  all  who  cared 
to  enter  upon  its  practice.  However,  at  this  time  there 
was  one  tribunal  from  which  the  physician  had  to  obtain 
what  was  in  effect  a  license,  that  cost  him  ten  dollars  per 
year,  namely  the  United  States  Revenue  Department. 
But  as  this  was  a  relic  of  the  heavy  taxation  demanded 
by  the  exigencies  of  the  Civil  War  it  was  done  away 
with  not  long  after  the  beginning  of  the  seventies. 

One  bright,  beautiful  morning  in  June,  I  got  in  the 
saddle  and  started  in  a  general  northwesterly  direction 
from  the  farm  near  Vandalia,  Illinois,  where  I  was  then 

84 


Jajies  S.  Jewell 


Natiia.x  Smith  Davis 


On  the  Quest  85 

living.  I  was  in  my  twenty-fifth  year,  but  very  boyish- 
looking  and  with  the  hope  to  in  some  degree  overcome 
this,  I  had  a  few  days  before  left  a  reservation  on  my 
upper  lip  for  a  mustache  to  occupy  and  another  on  the 
lower  part  of  my  physiognomy  for  chin-whiskers.  In 
due  time  these  parts  came  to  be  covered  with  an  average 
growth  of  beard  and  so  remain  today  though  now  out  of 
fashion.  When  I  was  a  boy  a  man  with  a  full  beard  was 
a  curiosity,  and  so  he  is  today.  But  between  these  two 
clean-shaven  periods  was  the  bewhiskered  era,  when 
every  one  seemed  ambitious  to  raise  the  most  and 
heaviest  beard  possible.  So  much  for  fads  and  fashions 
relating  to  the  male  countenance  in  my  time ! 

Returning  to  my  journey :  After  riding  till  near  noon 
I  reached  Hillsboro,  the  county  seat  of  Montgomery  and 
an  old  settled  place.  Here  I  called  on  Dr.  T.  D.  Wash- 
burn and  he  received  me  very  kindly;  and  did  what  too 
many  established  physicians  fail  to  do,  took  an  interest 
in  me  and  directed  me  to  several  places  where  I  might 
find  what  I  was  looking  for.  I  visited  the  several  places 
but  found  none  of  them  promising.  However,  I  appreci- 
ated Dr.  Washburn's  interest  and  kindness  of  manner 
and  some  years  later  contributed  my  mite  towards  help- 
ing him  to  be  elected  president  of  the  Illinois  State  Medi- 
cal Society. 

Having  satisfied  myself  that  Montgomery  county  had 
no  place  that  would  suit  me  for  a  location,  I  rode  on 
north  into  Christian  county  and  passed  through  a  long 
stretch  of  open  prairie  of  virgin  soil  that  had  never 
known  the  ravishing  touch  of  the  ploughshare.  The 
weather  was  very  warm  and  no  sooner  had  the  sun 
mounted  in  the  sky,  than  looking  in  any  direction,  the 
undulation  of  heat  waves  could  be  seen  just  above  the 
level  horizon.  Late  in  the  afternoon  I  reached  Taylor- 
ville,  the  county  seat  of  Christian  county  and  at  that 
time  only  a  village.  I  did  not  tarry  long  here,  but  started 


86  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

for  the  nearby  farm,  residence  of  a  distant  relative, 
where  I  proposed  to  spend  the  night. 

A  little  while  before  reaching  my  destination,  my  at- 
tention was  attracted  by  what  seemed  to  be  a  carefully 
"done  up"  brown-paper  package,  lying  by  the  roadside. 
Thinking  this  something  of  value  and  possibly  a  package 
lost  by  my  relatives,  whose  house  was  not  far  distant,  I 
got  down  from  my  saddle,  picked  up  the  carefully  done 
up  and  well  corded  bundle,  but  finding  it  unduly  heavy, 
was  tempted  to  open  it,  when  lo,  it  was  found  to  be  a 
generous  piece  of  rich  sun-dried  soil  from  a  nearby 
marsh.  As  I  mounted  my  horse,  my  attention  was  called 
to  some  young  people  with  broad  grins  on  their  faces, 
whose  heads  were  protruding  from  the  door  of  a  rude 
shack  that  I  had  not  before  noticed.  Of  course,  I  had 
been  ' '  sold ' '  but  if  it  afforded  some  good-natured  amuse- 
ment, to  these  young  people,  who  doubtless  had  much  of 
monotony  in  their  lives,  what  was  the  odds? — even 
though  I  was  the  innocent  victim.  Soon  after  I  reached 
the  home  of  my  relative  and  was  hospitably  entertained. 

I  found  my  kinsman  to  be  a  very  successful  and  pros- 
perous farmer,  and  his  story  was  an  interesting  one. 
Twenty  years  previously  (in  the  late  forties),  he  was 
M^orking  by  the  month  and  earned  and  saved  enough 
money  to  enter  eighty  acres  of  land  near  the  then  small 
village  of  Taylorville.  This  raw  prairie  had  first  to  be 
broken  with  a  prairie  plow,  drawn  by  several  yokes  of 
oxen,  as  the  turf  made  by  the  roots  of  the  prairie  grass, 
or  "blue-stem,"  as  it  was  commonly  called,  was  a  tenaci- 
ous mass  that  resisted  strenuously  any  disturbing  factor. 
As  soon  as  the  sod  was  turned  over,  he  planted  it  in  corn. 
This  was  done  by  making  holes  in  the  newly  upturned 
sod  with  an  axe,  held  in  one  hand,  dropping  in  the  grains 
of  corn  with  the  other  and  kicking  over  this  the  loose 
dirt  with  one  foot.  As  there  were  no  weeds  and  the 
toughness  of  the  root-infested  soil  precluded  cultivation, 
the  crop  was  left  to  grow  undisturbed,  and  in  its  own 


On  the  Quest  87 

way,  which  it  did  to  perfection,  and  in  the  end,  yielded 
enough  to  pay  for  the  ground,  upon  which  it  grew  and 
likewise,  for  the  turning  over  of  the  sod  with  the  big 
plow,  drawn  by  a  number  of  oxen. 

Time  went  by,  my  kinsman  married  a  young  woman, 
who  turned  out  a  real  ' '  help-mate, ' '  and  he  from  time  to 
time  added  to  his  land  holdings,  grew  wheat,  oats,  and 
timothy  in  addition  to  corn.  During  the  first  half  of 
the  fifties  the  country  was  flooded  with  California's 
newly-discovered  and  immense  output  of  gold.  Prices 
of  all  commodities  went  up,  trade  of  all  kinds  was 
greatly  stimulated.  All  this  contributed  to  my  kins- 
man's prosperity,  and  meantime  child  after  child  was 
added  to  his  family,  and  when  I  reached  his  home  a  half 
dozen  or  more  children  sat  at  his  board  and  called  him 
father.  His  original  farm  had  been  added  to  until  it  em- 
braced a  whole  section  or  more,  and  whereas,  his  first 
land  had  cost  but  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  an  acre,  it  had 
all  advanced  in  value  till  probably  worth  forty  dollars 
per  acre.  Today  (1925)  it  would  perhaps  sell  for  three 
hundred  dollars  an  acre,  so  great  are  the  enhanced  values 
in  the  Illinois  corn-belt  and  so  remarkable  are  the  wealth- 
producing  possibilities  of  its  black,  fertile  soil. 

After  parting  company  with  my  kinsman  and  his 
hospitable  roof  I  rode  into  nearby  Taylorville,  hitched 
my  horse  and  looked  around  for  a  time  and,  meanwhile, 
stepped  into  a  nearby  drug  store  and  while  there,  a  well- 
dressed,  spruce-looking  man  drove  up  with  a  pair  of 
"spic-span"  horses,  hitched  to  a  nice  buggy.  In  a 
moment  this  dapper-looking  man  got  out  of  his  buggy, 
came  in  the  store,  got  some  article,  passed  out,  got  in  his 
buggy  again  and  drove  rapidly  away.  Upon  inquiry  I 
learned  that  this  was  the  leading  physician  of  the  town. 
Seeing  his  seeming  prosperity  and  apparent  fitness  I 
could  but  envy  him  and  wonder  if  I  should  ever  be  in 
position  to  ''stack  up  such  an  attractive  front." 


88  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

I  again  mounted  my  horse,  turned  my  course  west- 
ward and  at  noon  time  rode  up  to  the  farmhouse  of 
Captain  Daniel  DeCamp,  late  130th  Illinois  Infantry 
Volunteers,  my  old  regiment. 

Captain  DeCamp  was  a  pioneer  in  Christian  county, 
as  the  saying  is  "had  his  pick"  when  he  came  to  select  a 
site  for  his  home.  He  had  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the 
edge  of  the  timber  and  hence  his  holdings  embraced  both 
forest  and  prairie  land.  While  his  improvements  were 
such  as  were  common  to  the  earlier  settlers,  his  house 
was  larger  than  most  of  his  neighbors  and  had  in  its 
front  a  long,  wide  porch  and  upon  this  after  a  hearty  and 
typical  farmer's  dinner,  we  seated  ourselves  to  enjoy  any 
breeze  that  might  be  passing,  as  it  was  a  warm  June  day 
with  an  atmosphere  that  bordered  on  the  sultry. 

As  less  than  three  years  had  gone  by  since  we  were 
mustered  out  of  the  ser\dce,  we  naturally  feU  to  talking 
about  our  army  experiences.  .  .  .  Finally  we  both  agreed 
that  the  average  man  dreaded  to  go  in  battle  and  that  it 
was  really  pride  that  took  him  there  and  held  him  to  his 
work,  for  most  soldiers  had  rather  take  their  chances  of 
being  hit  by  one  of  the  enemy's  missiles  than  be  classed 
as  a  coward. 

After  leaving  the  comfortable  and  hospitable  home 
of  Captain  DeCamp,  I  could  but  think  of  the  indepen- 
dent position  he  and  my  kinsman,  under  whose  roof  I 
had  passed  the  previous  night,  occupied,  as  compared 
with  myself,  whose  only  possession  was  the  horse  upon 
whose  back  I  was  riding.  However,  as  they  were  both 
some  twenty  years  my  senior,  I  consoled  myself  with  the 
thought  that  time  maybe  had  something  in  store  for  me 
and  that  in  due  course,  I  too,  would  perhaps  have  a  home 
and  aU  else  which  that  most  expressive  word  oftentimes 
embraced. 

My  way  that  afternoon  led  through  a  timbered  region 
in  Sangamon  County,  across  a  rude  wooden  bridge  that 


On  the  Quest  89 

spanned  a  considerable  stream  and  finally  out  on  a 
beautiful  rolling  landscape,  covered  with  fine  farms.  In 
this  County  (Sangamon)  at  Crow's  Mill,  I  had  a  sister 
teaching  school,  and  I  had  it  in  mind  to  pay  her  a  visit. 
As  indicated  above,  the  road  led  through  a  beautiful 
farming  country,  the  afternoon  wore  away,  the  sun  went 
down,  twilight  and  darkness  came  on  and  in  this  I  rode 
for  some  little  time  before  I  reached  my  destination.  I 
was  fatigued  and  after  greeting  my  sister  and  a  short 
visit  with  her,  I  retired  to  rest  in  an  old-time  feather  bed, 
and  slept  sweetly  till  the  sun,  coming  in  at  my  bedroom 
window,  warned  me  that  it  was  time  to  get  up. 

At  this  time  I  had  a  cousin,  Charles  "W.  Johnson  who 
had  served  in  the  same  regiment  that  I  had,  but  who  was 
now  a  young  lawyer  in  Springfield,  and  whom  I  ex- 
pected to  visit  in  that  city.  From  my  sister  I  learned 
that  he,  like  most  young  professional  men,  found  him- 
self a  little  short  of  money,  and  engaged  to  teach  the 
summer  school  at  Chatham,  111.,  some  six  miles  distant 
from  where  my  sister  was  teaching,  and  as  I  felt  that  I 
must  see  him,  I  got  in  the  saddle  and  rode  to  that  vil- 
lage. I  found  it  a  neat,  pretty,  little  place,  on  the  Alton 
and  Chicago  Eailway,  t-en  miles  south  of  Springfield.  But 
much  to  my  disappointment,  I  found  that,  it  being 
Saturday,  my  cousin  had  taken  the  train  and  gone  in  to 
Springfield. 

While  in  the  village,  I  dropped  in  at  one  of  the  drug 
stores  and  asked  the  proprietor  if  he  knew  of  a  good 
location  for  a  young  doctor  and  in  reply  he  said  that  the 
young  doctor  who  had  been  practicing  in  Chatham,  had 
just  gone  west,  and  no  one  had  as  yet  come  to  fill  his 
place.  In  talking  a  little  further,  the  suggestion  was 
made  that  I  go  and  see  the  old  established  physician  of 
the  place.  Dr.  Nehemiah  Wright.  I  promptly  did  as 
suggested,  and  found  Dr.  Wright  in  such  an  open  frame 
of  mind  that  he  almost  urged  me  to  look  no  further,  as 


90  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

I  would  probably  find  no  better  location  than  Chatham, 
for  the  reason  that  Dr.  Charles  H.  Lewis,  a  young  physi- 
cian, had  just  gone  away  and  there  was  need  for  some 
one  to  fill  his  place.  What  Dr.  Wright  had  to  offer  had 
weight  with  me. 

A  little  later  I  mounted  my  horse  and  rode  into 
Springfield  and  met  my  cousin,  Charles  W.  Johnson, 
who  had  just  been  admitted  to  the  bar  after  reading  law 
in  the  office  of  Lincoln  (Abraham)  and  Herndon,  but 
who,  as  narrated  above,  had  taken  occasion  to  earn  a 
little  much-needed  readj^  money  by  teaching  the  Chat- 
ham Summer  School. 

After  spending  the  afternoon  in  Springfield  with  my 
cousin  I  again  mounted  my  horse  and  rode  out  to  Crows 
Mill,  where  I  had  left  my  sister  in  the  morning.  I  spent 
the  day  resting  and  visiting  with  my  sister,  who  was 
several  years  my  senior  and  a  well-educated  woman,  who 
had  always  especially  commanded  my  respect.  She  it 
was  who  said  the  word  that  finally  induced  me  to  study 
medicine.  We  had  an  all-day  visit  and  a  pleasant  time 
together,  and  I  greatly  enjoyed  the  rest  and  social  inter- 
course thus  afforded  me.  Next  morning  I  got  in  the 
saddle  and  rode  to  Chatham  where  I  spent  several  days 
looking  the  ground  over.  While  there,  I  paid  a  visit  to 
Loami,  a  hamlet,  six  miles  west  of  Chatham  and  nearby 
which,  at  a  farmhouse,  lived  a  soldier,  with  whom  I  had 
served  while  in  the  Union  Army.  The  last  part  of  this 
ride  was  near  noontime,  and  the  way  led  north  with  a 
tall  osage-orange  hedge  on  either  side  of  the  road.  I  had 
on  dark  clothes,  and  as  there  was  not  a  breath  of  air,  the 
sun  beat  down  on  my  back  till  I  felt  sick  and  faint,  but 
I  managed  to  reach  my  destination  and  found  a  place  in 
the  shade,  under  some  trees  in  the  yard  on  the  grass. 
Dinner  was  soon  ready,  a  hearty  farmer's  meal,  for 
which  I  had  no  appetite,  but  asked  for  some  sweet  milk. 
This  proved  to  be  cold  and  was  most  grateful  to  my 
palate. 


On  the  Quest  91 

Next  morning  I  felt  much  better  and  returned  to 
Chatham,  Another  Saturday  came  and  I  again  rode  into 
Springfield,  where  meeting  my  cousin,  he  introduced  me 
to  Dr.  B.  F.  Stephenson,  later  to  become  famous  as  the 
founder  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  an  organi- 
zation to  which  only  soldiers  who  had  battled  for  the 
Union  were  eligible.  But,  as  at  that  time,  there  were 
something  like  a  million  and  a  half  of  these,  the  order 
came  to  be  a  very  strong  one.  After  Dr.  Stephenson  had 
passed  out  of  earshot,  my  cousin  told  me  that  he  (Dr. 
Stephenson)  had  said  to  him  that  Chatham  was  not  a 
good  location  and  he  would  not  encourage  me  to  locate 
there.  I  replied  that,  notwithstanding,  I  had  decided  to 
try  my  luck  at  Chatham,  and  had  promised  to  be  there 
for  work  a  month  hence,  or  about  July  15,  1868.  After 
another  short  visit  with  my  sister  I  started  on  my  return 
to  my  brother's  home  near  Vandalia,  Illinois. 

As  said  before,  the  season  was  in  mid-June,  and  all 
nature  was  in  its  best  dress,  so  to  speak.  Wheat  was 
ripening,  meadows  were  a  dark  rich  green,  corn  was 
knee-high,  orchards  were  loaded  with  rich  promise,  fat 
cattle  and  sleek  horses,  in  pastures  with  blue-grass  that 
almost  reached  their  full  bellies. 

Here  and  there  was  a  water-course  about  which  and 
along  whose  banks  was  a  fine  growth  of  oak,  hickory,  ash 
and  other  varieties  of  timber.  But  whether  the  eye  fell 
upon  cultivated  field  or  woodland  all  gave  evidence  of 
rich  fertile  soil  that  stimulated  plant  and  tree  alike,  to 
the  fullest  and  freest  growth.  All  this  was  in  direct  con- 
trast to  the  much  thinner  soil  of  my  native  land,  some 
sixty  miles  to  the  south. 

Getting  back  to  my  brother's  home,  I  helped  him  in 
his  wheat  harvest  and  in  other  ways  made  myself  useful 
till  the  month  of  July  was  near  its  middle,  when  I  again 
mounted  my  horse  and  in  due  time,  reached  Chatham,  at 
the  close  of  a  hot  summer  day. 


IX. 


MY  FIRST  PATIENTS 

There  are  more  things  in  heaven  and  earth,  Horatio, 
Than  are  dreamt  of  in  your  philosophy. 

— Shakespeare 

I  PUT  up  for  the  night  at  the  village  tavern  and  next 
morning,  July  17,  1868,  went  to  one  of  the  two  vil- 
lage drug  stores  and  made  arrangements  to  temporarily 
have  my  office  there.  As  customers  came  in,  I  was  in- 
troduced as  the  new  physician,  Doctor  Johnson,  and, 
will  the  reader  believe  it?  the  title  "doctor"  for  a 
time  seemed  so  unreal  that  it  actually  grated  on  my  ears. 
However,  as  use  and  custom  familiarizes  us  with  most 
things,  I  finally  accepted  the  new  ''handle"  to  my  name 
with  as  good  grace  as  I  could  command,  for  I  was  about 
to  do  that  most  important  thing  in  a  young  doctor's 
life,  set  up  shop  on  my  own  hook. 

Meanwhile  I  had  added  to  my  stock  of  books,  bought 
a  few  instruments,  and  a  pair  of  saddle  bags  that  doc- 
tors in  those  days  carried  behind  their  saddles  on  the 
horse's  back.  I  procured  board  in  a  private  family  and, 
as  indicated  above,  made  my  office  in  the  rear  room  of 
one  of  the  village  drug  stores.  As  there  was  no  one  in 
the  little  town  who  had  the  skill  to  paint  a  sign  for  me, 
I  proceeded  to  cut  with  my  pocket  knife,  the  letters  of 
my  name  from  pieces  of  cigar  box,  and  these,  when  glued 
on  a  board,  and  painted  over,  looked  quite  artistic.  No 
one  but  an  expert  in  such  things  would  ever  have  be- 
lieved this  to  be  the  work  of  an  amateur. 

I  shall  never  forget  my  first  patient,  his  name  was 
Phelps,  and  he  had  hematuria,  and  received  a  good  deal 
of  treatment  from  me  before  he  finally  recovered.  How- 

92 


My  First  Patients  93 

ever,  for  all  my  pains  and  trouble  I  got  nothing,  as  he 
was  a  member  of  the  great  family  of  Dead-Beats,  whom 
doctors  have  reason  to  know  so  well,  and  of  whom  I 
may  have  occasion  to  speak  more  at  length,  further  on. 

A  little  later  I  had  for  a  patient  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  village,  who  had  a  severe  attack  of  facial 
erysipelas,  which  threatened  to  be  serious  and  in  conse- 
quence, it  was  thought  advisable  to  hold  a  consultation. 
By  request,  of  the  friends,  the  consultant  called  in  was 
the  late  Dr.  B.  M.  Griffith,  of  Springfield,  whom  I  then 
met  for  the  first  time.  He  was  a  handsome,  well  dressed 
man  and  was  fully  entered  upon  his  successful  career. 
He  examined  the  case  carefully,  talked  it  over  with  me, 
and  from  beginning  to  end,  strove  to  do  what  consult- 
ants do  not  always  do,  namely,  to  have  my  patient  and 
his  friends  have  confidence  in  me  and  my  methods. 

At  that  period  the  standard  treatment  for  erysipelas, 
was  tincture  of  iodine  locally  and  tincture  of  iron  and 
quinine  internally.  In  due  time  my  patient  recovered, 
and  unlike  my  first  case,  I  received  due  reward  for  my 
services. 

In  1868  practically  no  young  physician  just  begin- 
ning practice  had  any  "finger-point"  knowledge  of  the 
art  of  obstetrics.  This  hiatus  in  the  accoucheur's  art 
on  the  part  of  the  young  physician  was  due  to  the  fact 
that  in  that  day  very,  very  few  medical  students  had 
the  privilege  of  acquiring  hospital  experience  and  the 
training  under  a  preceptor,  which  had  so  long  been  in 
vogue,  was  going  out  of  existence.  As  to  myself,  al- 
though I  was  not  an  M.  D.  yet,  I  had  followed  instruct- 
ors through  hospital  wards,  both  in  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis  and  furthermore,  saw  many  cases  with  the  physi- 
cian whom  I  deemed  my  preceptor.  But,  nevertheless, 
when  I  went  on  my  first  obstetric  case,  after  beginning 
practice  I  was  as  lame  on  the  practical  side  as  can  well 
be  imagined. 

It  was  a  perfectly  normal  labor;  the  infant  came  in 


94  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

the  world  with  a  hearty  effort  at  crying,  but  the  placenta 
was  not  so  accommodating, — for  it  "stuck."  I  made 
some  uncertain,  dubious  efforts  at  extraction,  which 
proved  to  be  ineffectual.  Meantime,  there  came  in  my 
mind  what  I  had  read  about  adherent  placentae,  and 
the  thought  came  that,  maybe,  I  had  that  complication 
to  contend  with,  so  desiring  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  I  sug- 
gested to  the  husband,  that  a  difficulty  had  come  up  in 
the  case  that  required  counsel.  He  at  once  ' '  caught  on, ' ' 
got  in  the  saddle  and  rode  quickly  as  his  horse  could 
carry  him  to  Chatham,  some  three  miles  distant,  and  in 
due  time  came  back,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Wright,  a  vet- 
eran in  the  all-around  work  of  the  country  practitioner. 
He  promptly  got  ready  "for  action,"  by  washing  his 
hands,  pushing  up  his  sleeves  and  a  moment  later  the  pla- 
centa was  delivered  as  easily,  seemingly  as  a  ripe  cherry 
could  be  relieved  of  the  stone  in  its  interior.  Naturally,  I 
was  somewhat  chagrined,  but  I  think  Dr.  Wright  was 
generous  enough  to  assign  by  shortcomings  to  the  inex- 
perience which  attends  every  young  doctor  upon  his 
entrance  into  practice. 

It  was  a  warm  day  in  August  and  noontime  had 
meanwhile  arrived,  and  with  it  a  table  loaded  with  a 
typical  farmer's  dinner.  This  included  roasting-ears, 
new  beans,  new  potatoes,  fried  chicken,  cake,  two  or 
three  kinds  of  fruit,  and  peach-cobler,  with  rich  cream 
and  sweet  milk  in  plenty.  Any  chagrin  or  mortification 
that  I  had  suffered  from  an  hour  previously,  did  not  pre- 
vent my  doing  ample  justice  to  the  appetizing  food  on 
this  thrifty  farmer's  table. 

In  another  way  my  next  labor  case  caused  me  as  much 
or  more  embarrassment  than  the  one  narrated  above. 
After  I  had  reached  the  home  of  the  parturient  woman, 
and  made  a  digital  examination,  a  man  called  at  this 
house,  and  asking  to  see  me,  said  that  a  member  of  his 
family  was  in  need  of  the  services  of  a  physician,  and 
as  he  lived  but  one  mile  away,  would  I  not  go  to  his 


My  First  Patients  95 

home  and  minister  to  the  wants  of  the  afflicted  one  ?  The 
thought  of  "killing  two  birds  with  one  stone"  came  be- 
fore me  as  a  pleasant  vision,  and  I  decided  to  go  to  the 
bedside  of  my  parturient  patient  and  ascertain  how  fast 
her  labor  was  progressing.  How  capable  with  my  lack 
of  experience  I  was  of  finding  out  the  fact  in  question, 
I  will  leave  to  my  reader  to  imagine.  However,  I  jumped 
to  the  conclusion  that  I  would  have  time  to  make  the 
desired  call  before  my  services  would  be  required  in  the 
labor-case. 

"Well,  I  made  the  call,  which  was  never  paid  for, 
returned  and  upon  going  in  the  house,  whom  should  I 
find  at  the  bedside,  and  doing  the  duty  of  an  experi- 
enced accoucheur,  but  Dr.  Wright !  The  family  and 
friends  very  soon  after  I  had  left  the  house  to  visit  the 
second  patient,  realizing  that  labor  was  fully  under  way, 
despatched  a  messenger  for  the  older  and  vastly  more 
experienced  physician,  and  he  came  promptly  and  rend- 
ered the  aid  I  should  have  remained  and  given.  To  say 
that  I  was  badly  "put-out"  with  myself,  but  half  ex- 
presses the  truth,  for  I  then  and  there  voted  myself  an 
ass  of  the  "first  water." 

Both  of  these  patients  Dr.  Wright  had  kindly  sent 
me.  A  little  later  he  sent  me  another,  and  when  I  was 
mounting  my  horse  to  go  to  it,  he  said,  "Now,  Dr.  John- 
son, stay  by  this  case  till  all  is  over,  and  don't  let  any- 
thing short  of  a  cyclone  coax  you  away."  I  heeded  his 
advice  and  with  the  help  (and  truth  compels  me  to  ac- 
knowledge), advice  and  instruction  of  some  good  women 
who  knew  much  more  of  the  practical  side  of  obstetrics 
than  I  did,  got  through  all  right,  and  returned  home 
feeling  that  I  was  making  some  little  progress  in  the 
accoucheur's  art.  The  old  saying  has  it  that  "the  third 
time  is  the  charm."  Well,  it  was  not  till  I  had  my  third 
obstetric  case  that  I  had  found  the  knack  or  mother-wit, 
to  acquit  myself  with  any  degree  of  credit  whatsoever. 
However,  in  the  end,  I  proved  in  some  degree,  an  apt 


96  Sixty  Years  in  the  IVIedical  Harness 

learner  and  for  a  young  man,  came  to  be  somewhat 
popular  as  an  accoucheur,  mortifying  and  discouraging 
as  had  been  part  of  the  way  which  led  to  this  much- 
hoped-for  goal. 

In  that  period,  medicines  were  administered  in 
much  less  attractive  form  than  came  to  be  the  case  later. 
Tablets  as  we  have  them  today,  were  wholly  unknown 
and  pills  were  vastly  less  in  evidence  than  now.  Indeed, 
most  medicines  were  given  in  powder  form  and  the  bit- 
terness and  other  objectionable  gustatorj^  qualities  of 
the  drug  were  deemed  unavoidable  features  attending 
illness.  Quinine,  always  administered  in  powder  form, 
was  not  only  used  very,  very  much  more  frequently 
than  today,  but  was  furthermore  given  to  the  individual 
patient  in  much  larger  quantities  than  is  now  the  cus- 
tom. For  this  relative  free  use  of  that  drug  the  general 
prevalence  of  malaria  in  that  era  had  veiy  much  to  do. 
Here  let  it  be  said  that  while  malaria,  like  the  poor,  we 
had  with  us  always, — yet  most  physicians  overdid  the 
recognition  of  this  disease.  To  such  an  extent  was  this 
carried,  that  in  theorj^  it  became  a  component  part  of 
almost  every  other  ailment,  such  as  malarial-neuralgia, 
malarial-headache,  malarial-pneumonia,  malarial-rheu- 
matism, malarial-spasm,  malarial-meningitis,  etc.  In- 
deed, as  a  compound  of  itis,  malaria  was  made  to  reach 
and  cover  almost  every  tissue  and  location  in  the  body. 
At  one  period  puerperal  peritonitis  was  believed  to  be 
malarial  at  bottom  and  in  consequence,  large  quantities 
of  quinine  were  given  for  that  disease, — sometimes  as 
much  as  twenty  grains  at  a  dose  were  administered  in 
this  ailment.  Moreover,  it  was  once  believed  that  this 
drug  was  a  sovereign  remedy  in  practically  all  forms  of 
septicemia.  Finally,  when  a  trouble  was  obscure,  physi- 
cians were  wont  to  call  it  malarial — malaria  latent  in 
form.  Much  too  often  malaria  served  as  a  kind  of  blan- 
ket to  cover  up  the  diagnostician's  ignorance. 

Old  standard  drugs,  such  as  tincture  of  iron,  Hoff- 


My  First  Patients  97 

man's  Anodyne,  sweet  spirits  of  nitre,  opium  in  the 
gum,  camphor,  ipecac,  cream  of  tartar,  tr.  of  opium, 
paregoric  and  more  of  this  kind  were  in  vastly  more 
common  use  than  now.  Drugs  of  this  class  were  (and 
are)  dependable  and  I  can  but  believe  that  physicians 
are  neglecting  them  in  favor  of  many  things  of  doubtful 
value. 

Of  vastly  more  frequent  use  than  now  were  poultices 
of  flax-seed  (pulverized)  in  "gatherings"  (infections, 
as  we  now  say),  and  every  old-time  physician  will  tes- 
tify to  the  great  relief  afforded.  Poultices,  so-called,  of 
hot  mush  were  applied  with  seeming  great  relief  in 
pneumonic  and  pleuritic  cases.  Mustard  as  an  external 
irritant,  or  rubefacient  was  used  in  many  lung  and 
bowel  troubles  of  a  painful  character.  A  favorite  method 
of  iLsing  mustard  was  to  spread  a  layer  of  hot  cornmeal 
mush  on  a  cloth  and  "face"  this  with  mustard,  that  is, 
sprinkle  ground  mustard  over  its  surface. 

With  the  coming  of  the  fall  months  I  had  a  number 
of  cases  of  malarial  fever,  of  which  in  those  days,  we 
recognized  three  forms  in  practice.  First,  intermittent 
fever,  commonly  referred  to  as  chills  and  fever,  in  which 
a  paroxysm  might  occur  every  day,  every  second  day 
or  every  third  day ;  usually,  however  these  came  on 
alternate  days. 

Second,  remittent  fever,  usually  called  bilious  fever, 
in  which  the  attack  came  on  with  severe  headache,  aching 
in  the  legs,  vomiting  and  high  fever.  The  fact  that  the 
vomiting  was  nearly  always  attended  with  the  evacu- 
ation of  bile,  secured  for  this  disease  its  common  name 
bilious  fever.  This  form  of  malarial  fever  lasted  several 
days  and  sometimes  approached  two  weeks  in  duration. 
An  attack  always  left  the  patient  very  weak,  greatly  re- 
duced in  flesh,  pale  and  anemic. 

The  third  type  of  malarial  fever  was  the  malignant 
form,  commonly  called  congestive  chills,  or  "sinking 
chills, ' '  from  the  fact  that"  the  patient  not  unf requently 


98  Sixty  Ye-\rs  in  the  Medical  Harness 

passed  into  a  low,  comatose  state,  from  which  he  almost 
never  recovered.  This  form  of  the  disease  nearly  always 
came  on  suddenly  and  the  patient  reached  a  dangerous 
state  before  his  true  condition  was  appreciated,  even, 
sometimes,  by  the  attending  physician. 

For  all  these  forms  of  m.alarial  fever,  quinine  was 
the  sovereign  remedy.  Given  early  and  in  proper  doses 
it  seldom  failed  to  arrest  the  intermittent  type  and  as 
promptly  shortened  the  remittent  form.  In  the  malig- 
nant cases,  if  given  early,  it  frequently  saved  the  pa- 
tient's life.  But  in  all  three  of  these  classes  there  would 
be  some  that  would  not  regain  their  health  promptly, 
and  as  the  colder  fall  months  approached,  pale,  sallow 
anemic  patients  would  be  seen  dragging  themselves 
about  with  apparently  the  greatest  effort.  These  were 
eases  of  chronic  malarial  poisoning,  and  there  nearly 
always  existed  congestion  of  the  liver,  enlarged  spleen 
and  nephritis,  which  later  produced  anasarca,  from 
which  these  patients  so  frequently  suffered.  In  some 
eases,  the  spleen  would  be  enormouslj'  enlarged  and 
extend  across  the  abdomen  into  the  right  hypochon- 
drium,  the  well  known  ' '  ague  cake ' '  of  the  common  peo- 
ple. Iron,  quinine,  strj^chnia  and  arsenic,  given  singly 
or  variously  combined,  were  the  favorite  remedies  in 
these  cases,  though  arsenic  was  used  charily  in  the  an- 
asarcous  cases.  Often,  however,  these  remedies  were  best 
preceded  by  the  use  of  such  eliminants  as  calomel  or 
podophylin,  which  moved  the  bowels  and  at  the  same 
time  were  thought  to  stimulate  the  functions  of  the  con- 
gested liver. 

With  the  coming  of  the  winter  months  I  was  called 
to  several  cases  of  pneumonia,  the  real  thing,  if  I  may 
so  speak,  eases  of  what  today  we  call  fibroid  or  croupous 
pneumonia,  in  which  the  affected  lung  becomes  as  dull 
as  a  board,  and  real  tubular  breathing  can  be  heard. 
I  have  never  been  able  to  say  why,  but  during  the  two 
and  one-half  years  that  I  practiced  in  this  locality,  I 


My  First  Patients  99 

saw  more  cases  of  this  form  of  pneumonia  than  I  have 
in  my  many  years  of  practice  since.  They  were  all  taken 
in  much  the  same  way.  First  chill,  a  pain  in  the  side, 
short  breathing  and  a  dry  cough.  The  finger  applied  to 
the  pulse  would  find  this  quickened  and  the  ear  over 
the  chest  would  detect  the  sibilant  rale ;  meantime,  the 
skin  would  be  hot  but  the  degree  of  this  could  not  be 
definitely  known,  for  the  fever  thermometer  was  not 
then  in  general  use.  Later  would  come  free  expectora- 
tion, a  moistened  skin,  and,  if  the  case  progressed  favor- 
ably, more  comfort  to  the  patient  generally.  These  cases 
were  commonly  called  lung  fever  by  some  of  the  laity, 
and  winter  fever  by  others.  As  said  above,  as  the  cases 
progressed,  especially  the  worst,  the  affected  lung  would 
become  as  dull  as  a  piece  of  solid  wood,  meanwhile  the 
patient  would  raise  a  bro^\'ll  looking  sputa,  that  the  old 
authors  likened  to  prune-juice,  and  that '  always  be- 
tokened a  very  serious  case.  Our  standard  treatment 
was  Dover's  Powder  and  Quinine.  We  also  gave  ex- 
pectorants, laxatives  and  other  eliminants  as  needed, 
and  invariably  used  large  poultices  on  the  affected  lung. 
Under  this  treatment  most  of  our  patients  recovered. 
To  tell  but  the  simple  truth  we  then  had  better  success 
in  the  treatment  of  pneumonia  than  the  most  skillful 
have  today.  Will  some  of  our  ultra-scientific  wise  ones 
tell  why  ? 

As  time  went  by,  I  came  to  have  a  few  cases  of  ty- 
phoid fever,  none  of  which,  however,  were  as  typical  in 
character  as  the  books  had  led  me  to  think  I  should  find 
them.  Indeed,  not  a  small  number  of  the  cases  were 
so  mixed  in  type  as  to  seem  especially  fitted  to  come  un- 
der the  designation  that  Dr.  J.  Janvier  Woodward, 
of  the  United  States  Army  had  but  recently  coined : 
namely,  Typho-Malarial  fever.  It  will  be  recalled  by  the 
older  physicians  that  during  the  campaigns  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  on  the  Chickahominy  River,  during  the 
Civil  War,  these  mixed  types  of  fever  were  encountered 


100  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

in  such  large  numbers  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  Dr. 
Woodward  and  induce  him  to  write  a  monograph  in 
which  the  above-named  title  for  the  disease  was  given 
to  the  world. 

For  this,  he  has  since  been  subject  to  some  criticism, 
and  it  is  quite  possible,  a  very  great  many  cases  were  for 
years,  called  Typho-Malarial  Fever,  that  were  really 
typhoid.  Nevertheless,  I  can  not  be  mistaken  in  believ- 
ing that  many  cases  I  saw  in  the  first  years  of  my  prac- 
tice, when  malaria  was  prevalent,  were  mixed  in  type. 
The  cases  designated  as  true  typhoid  did  not  receive 
anything  like  the  care  in  diet  and  nursing  that  they  do 
today;  nevertheless,  the  great  majority  recovered.  I 
suppose  this  was  because  the  disease  in  those  days  was 
milder  in  type,  or  else  the  patients  had  more  endurance. 
Of  course,  I  do  not  care  to  say  we  were  more  skillful 
than  are  our  successors  today. 

Turpentine  emulsion  was  a  standard  in  typhoid  fe- 
ver, and  other  drugs  were  used  as  indicated.  While  I 
think  of  it,  I  will  make  the  observation  that  constipation 
was  more  frequently  present  in  the  cases,  forty-odd 
years  ago,  than  it  is  today.  The  diagnosis  of  typhoid  in 
that  period,  I  now  look  back  upon  as  especially  beset 
with  difficult ies  as  cases  of  this  disease  were  particularly 
liable  to  be  confounded  with  one  prevalent  type  of 
malarial  fever,  namely,  bilious  or  remittent  fever  (the 
aestivo-autumnal  fever  of  today).  Of  course,  the  sudden 
onset  of  the  malarial  type,  with  its  attendant  high  fever, 
sick  stomach  and  severe  aching  of  head,  back  and  legs 
were  characteristic,  but  unfortunately  for  the  peace  of 
the  diagnostician,  the  inception  of  some  of  these  cases 
was  comparatively  mild,  while  per  contra,  the  beginning 
of  some  typhoid  cases  was  exceptionally  sudden  and 
severe.  In  such  instances,  anything  like  an  early  diag- 
nosis was  simply  impossible.  (Widal's  test  had  not  so 
much  as  been  dreamed  of  then).   Furthermore,  the  clin- 


My  First  Patients  101 

ical  thermometer  which  we  today  rely  upon  as  an  indis- 
pensable aid  to  diagnosis,  was  then  not  in  use. 

We  were  compelled  to  drag  along  for  a  time  in  the 
dark,  as  it  were,  a  thing  not  always  easy  to  do,  partic- 
ularly in  the  case  of  a  young  man,  (myself),  who  so 
far  from  having  a  doctor's  good  fortune  to  be  born  with 
an  imperturable  face,  had  been  doomed  by  nature  to  at 
all  times,  wear  a  most  embarrassing,  tell-tale  counten- 
ance. When  finally  the  case,  after  dragging  along, 
plainly  became  continued  in  character,  it  was  the  cus- 
tom of  some  doctors  to  explain  to  the  friends  that  the 
case  had  "changed  into  typhoid,"  an  explanation  that 
in  many  instances  "made  good"  as  the  slang  of  today 
goes,  and  satisfied  all  concerned.  Others,  too  proud 
to  adopt  such  means  for  getting  out  of  the  diificulty, 
either  frankly  confessed  their  confusion,  or  else  held 
their  tongues,  "looked  wise"  and  breasted  the  storm 
as  best  they  could.  It  was  these  seemingly  simple,  yet 
really  confusing  cases  that  often  gave  the  young  man  his 
first  "black  eye"  from  a  professional  standpoint. 

Before  I  had  been  in  practice  a  year,  I  met  my  first 
case  of  puerperal  fever.  Labor  was  completed  before 
I  arrived  on  the  scene,  as  the  patient  lived  some  miles 
in  the  country.  I  became  greatly  interested,  followed 
its  progress  closely  and  meanwhile  read  and  re-read 
all  the  literature  on  the  subject  I  could  lay  my  hands 
on.  The  disease  followed  the  usual  course.  First  a  chill, 
then  a  high  fever,  pain  in  the  bowels,  tympanites,  per- 
itonitis, a  dry  tongue  and  the  usual  accompaniments  of 
septicemia.  The  case  dragged  along ;  I  treated  it  accord- 
ing to  the  best  authorities  of  the  day,  had  two  or  three 
consultants  at  different  times,  but  its  course  was  steadily 
towards  the  grave,  where  such  patients  nearly  always 
speedily  found  their  last  resting  place.  As  said  before 
we  did  not  understand  the  true  nature  of  this  disease, 
and  such  prominent  authorities  as  Meigs  and  Hodge, 


102  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Hakness 

both  of  Philadelphia  and  shining  lights  in  the  obstetric 
world,  steadily  and  persistently  maintained  that  it  was 
not  contagious.  This  too,  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  the 
brilliant  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  had  more  than 
twenty  years  before  demonstrated  its  infectious  nature, 
but  these  men  and  practically  none  others  of  promin- 
ence in  the  profession,  would  receive  this  medical  gos- 
pel from  so  wise  a  prophet  who,  unfortunately  for  wom- 
ankind, was  compelled  to  wait  many  years  before  the 
truths  he  had  proclaimed,  were  adopted  and  their  teach- 
ings put  in  practice. 

As  I  now  look  back  at  this,  my  first  case  of  puerperal 
fever,  I  can  see  no  reason  to  make  me  think  that  I  was 
the  infecting  agent,  a  thing  I  would  be  glad  to  be  sure 
of  in  some  of  my  subsequent  experience,  and  in  which 
last  I  would  be  more  than  happy  could  I  definitely  prove 
an  alihi. 

I  had  not  long  been  in  my  first  location  till  I  began 
to  hear  a  great  deal  of  the  skill  and  success  of  a  practi- 
tioner of  medicine  in  a  neighboring  village.  Being  at 
this  time  so  new  upon  the  medical  stage  that  I  had 
scarcely  "cut  my  eye-teeth,"  in  the  professional  way, 
I  was  naturally  interested  in  all  that  was  said  about  one 
so  capable,  hoping  thereby  to  get  some  suggestion  that 
might  possibly  help  me  in  making  my  own  career  more 
successful.  I  learned  one  day  that  this  physician,  of 
whose  skill  I  had  heard  so  much,  had  come  to  our  village 
on  some  errand,  not  of  a  medical  character,  and  I  took 
this  occasion  to  meet  one  of  whom  I  was  curious  to 
have  answered  the  question : 

"Upon  what  meat  doth  this  our  Caesar  feed, 
That  he  is  grown  so  great?" 

Judge  of  my  surprise  when  I  found  the  person  so 
much  talked  of  to  be  a  thick-set,  leadened-faced  man, 
utterly  besotted  with  long  drinking.  Later  I  learned 
that  such  was  the  faith  of  some  of  his  country  patrons 


My  First  Patients  103 

in  his  skill  that  they  were  not  in  the  habit  of  waiting  for 
the  spree  to  go  off,  in  which  he  might  be  found,  but 
putting  him  in  a  wagon  would  haul  him,  like  a  dead 
hog,  to  the  home  of  the  patient  where  time  would  be 
given  him  to  sober  up  when  he  would  be  taken  to  the 
ease,  his  diagnosis  received  with  the  greatest  confidence, 
and  his  treatment  carried  out  with  absolute  faithfulness. 

For  a  time  I  had  board  and  rooming  privileges  in  the 
home  of  a  prominent  citizen  by  the  name  of  C.  B.  Smith. 
This  man  in  certain  particulars,  was  a  unique  character. 
He  was  a  very  popular  and  successful  business  man  in 
the  community,  and  for  that  time  and  place,  had  an 
elegant  home  and  attractive  surroundings.  His  family 
consisted  of  a  wife  and  a  five-year-old  daughter,  and 
furthermore,  his  brother,  a  man  about  forty  years  of 
age,  made  his  home  there.  A  well  trained  Irish  woman 
did  the  cooking  and  kept  the  table  well  supplied  with 
edible  food  at  each  of  the  three  daily  meals.  A  faithful 
Irishman  kept  things  about  the  yard  and  barn  in  apple- 
pie  order. 

Mr.  C.  B.  Smith,  my  landlord,  was  at  all  times  well 
dressed  and  was  a  courteous,  suave,  gentleman,  kindly 
disposed  to  everyone.  He  had  excellent  literary  taste 
and  in  his  sitting-room  was  a  well-selected  library,  in 
which  only  appeared  the  works  of  the  best  authors.  At 
the  close  of  each  volume  was  the  date  when  it  had  been 
read  through  by  its  owner, — as  he  always  promptly  read 
a  book  immediately  after  its  purchase.  But  Mr.  Smith's 
reading  was  by  no  means  confined  to  his  own  private 
library ;  once  or  twice  a  week  he  boarded  a  train  on  the 
Alton  and  Chicago  railway,  went  to  Springfield,  ten 
miles  away,  and  at  the  City  Library  got  a  number  of 
high-class  books,  brought  these  home,  read  them,  and 
procured  more  as  his  desires  and  literary  taste  indi- 
cated. 

In  the  fullest  sense  my  landlord  was  a  lover  of  good 
books,  and  reading  these  and  thinking  over  their  con- 


104  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

tents  made  him  a  very  intelligent,  and  to  a  degree,  a 
cultured  man.  Talking  with  him  and  seeing  how  much 
satisfaction  he  got  from  reading  good  literature,  was 
a  most  useful  object  lesson  to  me.  I  had,  since  a  school 
boy,  a  taste  for  good  books,  but  my  three  years  of  army 
service,  and  the  nomadic  life  I  had  since  led,  afforded 
little  opportunity  for  gratifying  this.  My  association 
with  my  landlord  had  the  effect  to  thoroughly  revive 
and  invigorate  what  up  to  this  time  was  little  more  than 
a  dormant  love  of  books.  Since  that  winter,  which  I 
spent  in  the  home  of  C.  B.  Smith  (now  nearly  sixty 
years  in  the  past),  I  have  devoted  no  little  of  my  spare 
time  to  the  reading  of  good  books  and  the  better  class 
of  magazine  articles.  And  for  this,  I  can  but  think  I 
am  the  better,  and  am  very  certain  I  have  been  all  the 
happier.  Meantime,  I  have  grown  into  a  confirmed 
bibliophile.  I  agree  perfectly  with  Sir  John  Herschell 
when  he  said,  "  If  I  should  pray  for  a  taste,  which  might 
stand  me  in  stead  under  every  variety  of  circumstances, 
and  be  a  source  of  happiness  and  cheerfulness  through 
life,  and  shield  against  ills,  however  things  might  go 
amiss  and  the  world  frown  upon  me,  it  would  be  a  taste 
for  reading. ' ' 

But  sad  to  have  to  relate,  there  was  another  side  to 
the  life  of  my  suave,  kindly,  cultured  landlord ;  he  was  a 
periodic,  and  about  once  in  two  or  three  weeks,  he  would 
get  on  a  drunken  spree.  At  such  times  the  usually  intel- 
ligent countenance  would  wear  a  silly  smile,  the  correct 
dress  would  show  every  evidence  of  neglect ;  the  kindly, 
soft  spoken  word  would  become  harsh,  and  the  cordial 
greeting  changed  to  a  rebuff. 

Fortunately  for  all  concerned,  when  on  one  of  these 
sprees  a  night's  rest  would  work  an  almost  magical 
change  in  the  condition  of  my  landlord  and  next  morn- 
ing he  would  appear  at  the  breakfast  table,  neatly 
dressed,  cleanly  shaven,  in  immaculate  linen  and  with  his 
usual  amiability  and  gentlemanly  manner. 


My  FmsT  Patients  105 

Sometimes  during  these  drunken  fits  he  would  be 
seized  with  hallucinations.  One  evening  upon  returning 
to  my  boarding  place  I  found  him  just  within  the  front 
gate  with  a  shotgun  on  his  shoulder  and  pacing  to  and 
fro.  He  seemed  excited  and  said  there  were  robbers 
about  and  before  he  would  permit  them  on  his  premises, 
they  would  have  to  step  over  his  dead  body!  For- 
tunately, Mr.  Smith's  brother  appeared  and  in  a  little 
time  succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  the  gun,  which  was 
found  loaded  in  both  barrels. 

As,  during  my  then  recent  service  in  the  army,  I  had 
seen  enough  of  armed  men  to  do  me  for  a  time,  I  con- 
cluded it  better  to  change  my  boarding  place  and  thus 
part  company  with  my  usually  very  agreeable,  but 
sometimes  very  disagreeable  landlord. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Smith's  dual  life  ran  its  course.  He 
attended  to  his  business  affairs,  read  good  literature, 
greeted  his  friends  and  acquaintances  and  for  the  most 
part,  enacted  the  part  of  an  exceptionally  agreeable  gen- 
tleman. Then  came  his  fit  of  periodical  drunkenness, 
fortunately  short,  when  too  often  he  was  more  hog  than 
human. 

One  November  day,  about  a  year  subsequent  to  the 
above  experience,  I  was  called  to  see  Mr.  Smith  pro- 
fessionally, and  upon  reaching  his  bedside,  I  found 
him  with  a  burning  fever,  which  had  been  preceded  by 
a  hard  chill,  headache,  and  a  "stitch"  in  his  side.  He 
soon  developed  a  very  serious  case  of  pneumonia,  and 
in  spite  of  my  best  efforts,  grew  steadily  worse  with 
short  breathing,  rapid  pulse,  prune- juice  expectoration 
and  some  delirium.  The  best  consultant  available  was 
called  in  and  while  this  was  helpful  in  more  ways  than 
one,  no  permanent  relief  was  obtained,  and  it  soon  be- 
came evident  that  death  was  inevitable.  I  was  present 
when  he  died,  and  just  before  the  end,  his  pallid  fea- 
tures, prominent  eye-balls  and  gasping  for  breath  were 
all  indelibly  photographed  on  my  memory.  The  moment 


106  Sixty  Years  in  the  IVIedical  Harness 

before  he  expressed  a  desire  to  raise  up  in  bed  for  a 
bowel-movement  (bedpans  were  not  yet  in  use),  and 
was  raised  to  the  half-sitting  position,  when  feeling 
much  worse,  he  was  leaning  on  one  elbow;  he  gasped 
several  times,  then  with  the  words,  "I  can't,  I  can't," 
dropped  back  on  his  pillow  and  all  was  over. 

He  was  the  most  prominent,  and,  in  spite  of  his  ap- 
petite for  drink,  and  at  times  unseemly  indulgence  in 
this,  he  was  by  far  the  most  beloved  man  in  the  village ; 
consequently,  his  serious  sickness  was  the  cause  of  much 
anxiety  and  in  passing  to  and  fro,  I  was  beset  with  no 
end  of  anxious  inquiries.  Towards  the  latter  part  of  the 
second  week  of  my  patient's  illness,  some  of  the  older 
citizens  observed  that  now,  that  the  ninth  day  had 
passed  with  no  improvement  in  the  case,  death  would 
almost  certainly  be  the  result.  At  this  period  the  most 
advanced  medical  scientist  had  no  thought  that  pneu- 
monia was  an  infectious  and  contagious  disease  and  that 
it  had  a  regular  course  to  run,  and  was  hence  a  self- 
limited  ailment.  Thus  in  a  sense,  the  common  people  of 
that  time  were  to  a  degree  ahead  of  the  profession  in 
indirectly  rating  it  as  self -limited,  which  the  nine  days 
time  allowed  a  patient  for  improvement,  in  effect  did. 

In  the  many  years  I  have  engaged  in  practice,  I  have 
had  all  sorts  of  cases,  and  patients  in  all  conditions  in 
life,  but  I  cannot  recall  one  among  them  all  whose  life, 
final  illness  and  death  interested  me,  on  the  whole,  as 
much  as  was  the  case  of  my  old  landlord,  the  courteous, 
gentlemanly,  book-lover,  the  popular  citizen,  the  success- 
ful man  of  business,  and  finally  the  drink  addict. 

When  I  first  located  at  Chatham,  I  realized  that  on 
the  social  side,  I  was  lame.  While  yet  in  my  nineteenth 
year,  I  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army,  serving  till  the  war 
ended  three  years  later,  and  for  three  years  following, 
indeed,  up  to  the  time  I  went  to  Chatham,  I  was  here, 
there,  and  elsewhere,  but  in  all  places  not  in  touch  so- 
cially.  The  result  was  that  when  I  began  practice  I  was 


My  First  Patients  107 

an  awkward,   timid,   unsophisticated  stripling,   and  as 
bashful  as  could  well  be  imagined. 

Not  long  after  I  began  practice,  I  heard  a  great  deal 
of  old  Dr.  Lewis,  who  a  few  years  before,  had  passed  to 
the  Great  Beyond,  and  whose  son,  Dr.  Charles  H.  Lewis, 
was  the  ' '  young  doctor ' '  who  was  referred  to  during  my 
first  visit  to  the  village,  and  whose  removal  to  the  West 
left  the  vacancy  I  was  trying  to  fill.  Besides  the  young 
doctor,  there  were  two  sons,  a  daughter  and  a  widow, 
left  behind  in  the  family,  when  the  older  Dr.  Lewis  died. 
One  day  while  I  was  in  the  drug  store,  where  I  had  my 
office,  an  attractive  young  woman  came  in  and  made  a 
purchase.  When  she  had  passed  out  the  druggist  said, 
"Did  you  notice  that  young  woman?" 

"Yes,"  I  answered,  "I  did,  and  I  liked  her  looks." 

"WeU, "  said  the  druggist,  'that  was  Dr.  Lewis's 
sister. ' ' 

I  said  little,  but  began  to  do  some  thinking. 

Some  months  later  I  noticed  two  very  neatly  dressed 
and  nice  looking  young  women  with  Miss  Lewis,  passing 
to  and  fro  about  the  village,  and  shortly  after  a  hand- 
some young  man  came  in  the  store,  whom  the  druggist 
recognized  and  introduced  as  Dr.  Lewis,  my  immediate 
predecessor  and  who  had  come  from  the  West  on  a  visit. 
Two  or  three  days  later  he  approached  me,  and  after  a 
moment's  conversation  said,  'By  the  way,  the  folks  at 
the  house  are  going  to  have  some  company  tomorrow 
night  and  asked  me  to  invite  you. ' '  I  thanked  him  and 
said  that  I  would  be  pleased  to  respond,  or  words  to 
that  effect. 

After  my  caller  had  gone,  I  realized  that  I  was  with- 
out proper  clothes  to  go  out  among  refined  people,  and 
worse  yet,  I  was  short  on  the  money  side.  But  thinking 
I  must  have  something  fit  to  wear,  I  went  down  to  the 
village  store,  which  happened  to  have  on  hand  a  'hand- 
me-down  ' '  suit  of  black  cloth  that  fitted  me  indifferently 
well.    I  frankly  told  the  merchant  I  would  have  to  be 


108  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

credited  for  a  time  if  I  took  the  suit  and  he  very  kindly 
obliged  me.  When  the  hour  approached  for  the  party  at 
the  "Widow"  Lewis's  residence  I  carefully  went  over 
with  a  razor  the  thin  growth  of  beard  on  my  face,  put 
on  my  best  "boiled"  shirt  and  nicest  tie,  got  into  my 
new  "store-clothes'  and  pulled  on  my  specially  well- 
blacked  boots.  Then,  after  brushing  my  hair  carefully. 
I  put  on  my  hat  and  started  for  the  Lewis  home,  and 
after  arriving  at  the  door  I  tremblingly  made  my  pres- 
ence known  by  a  timid  hesitating  knock.  The  door  was 
promptly  opened  by  Dr.  Lewis  who  greeted  me  with  a 
hearty  handshake,  took  my  hat  and  then,  taking  my 
arm,  led.  the  way  into  the  parlor  where,  among  others 
to  whom  I  was  presented  was  his  sister  and  two  other 
attractive  young  ladies,  his  cousins  from  Massachusetts. 
These  were  the  young  ladies  I  had  seen  in  company  with 
Miss  Lewis  and  who  had  come  West  to  visit  their  rela- 
tives. Their  dress  was  up-to-date  and  they  were  good 
looking  and  nice  in  every  way.  Dr.  Lewis  was  a  graduate 
of  Yale,  handsome,  and  several  years  my  senior,  and  in 
his  every  movement  was  grace  and  ease.  By  comparison 
I  could  but  realize  that  I  was  awkward,  ill-at-ease  and 
immature  looking. 

But  somehow,  someway,  I  managed  to  live  through 
it  and  at  the  end,  reached  home  none  the  worse  for  my 
experience,  save  the  mortification  for  the  figure  I  could 
but  feel  I  had  cut. 

In  a  little  time  Dr.  Lewis  returned  to  his  new  home 
in  the  West ;  and  before  long  his  charming  cousins.  Miss 
Florence  and  Miss  Katie  Lewis,  returned  to  their  New 
England  home.  Of  the  Miss  Lewis  of  Chatham  I  in- 
wardly resolved  to  see  and  know  more,  if  possible.  I 
could  but  feel  that  she  was  worth  knowing ;  she  was  at- 
tractive in  person,  and  her  father  had  long  served  his 
community  as  its  best  physician  and,  moreover,  was 
recognized  as  its  leading  citizen.  Her  mother  was  an 
educated  woman,  and  many  years  before  had  come  West 


My  First  Patients  109 

to  teach  in  an  Academy  at  Jacksonville,  then  called 
the  "Athens"  of  Illinois. 

I  "screwed"  up  my  courage  and  from  time  to  time 
for  the  purpose  of  engaging  her  company,  to  such  sim- 
ple functions  as  the  village  afforded,  would  write  little 
notes  to  Miss  Lewis.  One  of  these  was  at  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  later  I  learned  from  her  lips  that  instead  of 
a  "p"  in  the  third  letter  of  Baptist  I  had  inserted  a 
"  b. "  How  and  why  she  should  be  free  enough  to  tell  me 
of  my  mistake  in  spelling,  will  appear  later. 

I  think  I  have  referred  to  the  fact  that  when  I  found 
my  cousin  teaching  in  Chatham  he  had  just  married  a 
young  wife,  who  a  year  later  became  the  mother  of  a 
fine  boy.  Later  I  had  the  privilege  of  "bouncing"  this 
boy-babe  on  my  knee,  little  dreaming  that  he  was  to 
become  a  member  of  Congress  from  the  Third  Washing- 
ton District,  and  later  "make  good"  as  chairman  of 
one  of  the  most  important  committees,  namely,  immi- 
gration. 

Since  the  above  was  written  Congressman  Johnson 
after  giving  the  matter  a  great  deal  of  study  and  inves- 
tigating its  many  phases,  matured  an  up-to-date  Immi- 
gration Bill,  introduced  this  in  Congress  in  1924,  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  The  Johnson  Immigration  Bill 
pass  both  Houses  and  receive  the  signature  of  President 
Coolidge. 


HOW  PEOPLE  LIVED  IN  THE  SIXTIES  AND 
SEVENTIES 

Along  the  cool  sequestered  vale  of  life, 
They  kept  the  noiseless  tenor  of  their  way. 

Oray. 

POSSIBLY  some  of  my  readers  are  curious  to  know 
how  people  lived  in  the  Civil  "War  Era,  and  in  the 
years  immediately  following,  and  in  a  brief  space  I  shall 
endeavor  to  show  this.  Those  who  were  accounted  well- 
to-do,  whether  in  the  country  or  in  the  villages,  for  the 
most  part  lived  in  two-story  frame-houses,  usually  with 
a  porch  across  the  front,  an  el  in  the  rear,  containing  a 
dining  room,  kitchen  and  back  porch.  The  front  door 
opened  into  a  hall,  upon  each  side  of  which  was  a  room, 
and  from  which  led  a  stairway  reaching  a  hall  and  two 
rooms  above.  These  houses  were  nearly  all  painted  white 
with  green  window-blinds, — all  unblemished  by  coal- 
smoke,  smut  and  dirt  incident  to  the  burning  of  coal,  and 
which  was  obviated  by  the  fact  that  practically  everyone 
burned  wood.  Most  of  the  creeks  and  branches  were 
heavily  fringed  with  timber  which  afforded  an  abun- 
dance of  firewood  for  the  trouble  of  chopping  down, 
hauling  and  finally  cutting  into  firelengths.  For  the 
most  part,  fireplaces  had  been  displaced  by  box-stoves,  A 
large  heating-stove  was  used  in  the  sitting-room  for 
general  warmth  in  winter  and  a  smaller  stove  had  a  place 
in  the  parlor  in  which  a  fire  was  kindled  when  there  was 
company  and  upon  other  special  occasions.  With  the 
coming  of  warm  weather  all  the  heating  stoves  would  be 
taken  down  and  put  in  a  dry  place  till  needed  again. 
Taking  down  stoves  was  relatively  an  easy  job,  but  put- 

110 


In  the  Sixties  and  Seventies  111 

ting  them  up  on  the  approach  of  cold  weather  often  tried 
the  patience  of  the  men-folks,  mainly  for  the  reason  that 
the  stovepipes  had  grown  cantankerous  and  often  re- 
fused to  go  back  in  place.  In  doing  this  "chore"  I  am 
afraid  that  pater  familias  often  used  language  he  would 
not  have  wanted  his  Sunday  school  class  to  hear. 

As  no  fire  in  the  bedrooms  was  the  rule,  gettting  in 
bed  in  zero  weather  between  two  ice-cold  sheets  was  al- 
most like  taking  a  cold  bath ;  and  of  mornings  getting 
out  of  a  warm  bed  into  a  cold  room,  was  always  attended 
with  a  sense  of  dread.  Most  of  the  beds  were  of  ticks 
filled  with  feathers,  under  this  was  another  tick  filled 
with  straw  and  all  rested  upon  a  small  rope  crossed  and 
crisscrossed  many  times  from  rail  to  rail.  After  a  little 
use  the  rope  would  stretch,  the  bed  would  drop  down  in 
the  middle  and  when  occupied  by  two  persons,  the  ten- 
dency was  for  them  to  roll  and  lodge  against  one  another 
in  the  center.  Later  slats  displaced  the  bedcord  and 
many  of  the  inconvenieneies  of  the  last-named  were 
obviated.  Later  still  came  mattresses  as  we  have  them 
todaj^  and  soon  thereafter  ticks  of  feathers  and  straw 
became  things  of  the  past. 

When  the  fires  died  down  of  nights  in  cold  weather 
the  careful  housewife  saw  to  it  that  no  water  was  left 
standing  in  pitchers  and  other  fragile  vessels  lest  these 
freeze  and  burst.  Not  unfrequently  apples,  potatoes  and 
eggs  were  overlooked  and  left  in  the  pantry  and  next 
morning  would  be  found  frozen.  The  better  houses  had 
under  them  eellai's  in  which  were  kept  all  kinds  of  vege- 
tables and  likewise  apples  and  fruits.  After  the  Civil 
War  Era  canned  fruits  largely  displaced  the  dried  apples 
and  also  the  preserves. 

Speaking  of  fruits,  nearly  every  house  had  about  it 
cherry,  peach  and  pear  trees  and  likewise  an  apple- 
orchard,  the  last  large  or  small  as  suited  the  choice  of 
the  owner ;  and  all  these  bore  abundantly,  for  the  various 


112  Sixty  Yeaes  in  the  Medical  Harness 

insect-pests  so  destructive  today  were  then  very  much 
less  in  evidence.  With  the  disappearance  of  wild  black 
berries,  wild  strawberries,  wild  plums,  etc.,  people  began 
to  cultivate  these  in  their  gardens  and  about  their  homes. 
But  notwithstanding  the  abundance  of  fruits  of  one  kind 
and  another,  much  more  meat  was  eaten  in  that  day  than 
in  this.  Nearly  everyone  kept  chickens,  some  of  them 
turkeys,  and  practically  all  fattened  hogs  and  had  one  or 
more  cows.  These  conditions  very  generally  obtained  in 
the  villages  and  that  they  did  in  the  country,  goes  with- 
out the  saying. 

Few  homes  in  the  villages  were  without  one  or  more 
horses,  and  as  the  bam  was  in  most  instances  near  the 
house,  the  flies,  which  found  an  ideal  incubator  in  the 
stable  manure,  fairly  swarmed  in  the  kitchen  and  dining- 
room.  But  strange  to  say  in  some  quarters  flies  were  yet 
regarded  as  scavengers  and  for  this  reason  deemed  the 
friend  of  man,  rather  than  one  of  his  worst  enemies  as 
is  known  to  be  the  case  today.  Even  medical  men 
esteemed  flies  as  essentially  harmless  as  the  following 
from  an  up-to-date  physician  in  the  early  eighties  wiU 
show. 

"Go  throw  the  shutters  open  wide  and  lift  the  windows  high. 
Let  out  the  silence  and  the  gloom,  let  in  the  jolly  fly — 
I'm  weary  of  this  stale  repose,  and  long  to  hear  again 
The  sweetest  sound  of  all  the  year,  the  fly  upon  the  pane. 
I  long  to  see  him  bobbing  up  and  down  the  sill  and  sash, 

I  long  to  feel  his  tickling  feet  upon  my  soft  mustache. 
Then  throw  the  shutters  open  wide  and  lift  the  windows 

high, 
Let  out  the  gloom  and  silence,  and  let  in  the  jolly  fly. 

"Oh  the  old  house-fly!     Oh  the  jolly  house-fly! 
A-straddling  o'er  the  butter-dish,  a-sprawling  o'er  the  pie 
A-jogging  thro'  the  jell  and  jam,  and  jouncing  round  the 

cream 
As  prone  to  risk  a  summer  sail  upon  the  milky  stream; 
A  roving  life  the  rascal  leads  thro'  all  the  rosy  hours, 


In  the  Sixties  and  Seventies  113 

A-sipping  only  of  the  sweets  and  skipping  all  the  sours. 
Then  throw  the  shutters  open  wide  and  lift  the  windows 

high, 
Let  out  the  gloom  and  silence,  and  let  in  the  jolly  fly." 

In  the  early  seventies  people  began  to  realize  that  the 
fly  was  a  great  nuisance  and  meantime  some  ingenious 
benefactor  of  mankind  invented  v^ire-screen  and  began 
to  put  it  in  their  doors  and  windows.  However,  it  was 
not  tiU  late  in  the  nineties  that  the  world  came  to  realize 
that  the  house-fly  was  one  of  the  worst  of  disease  car- 
riers; and  because  it  not  unfrequently  transports  ty- 
phoid fever  it  has  most  properly  been  re-named  the  Ty- 
phmd-fly. 

People  in  more  moderate  circumstances  lived  in 
houses  of  two  rooms,  one  in  front  and  a  lean-to  with  a 
shed-roof  in  the  rear.  Here  and  there  along  the  streams 
in  the  timber  could  be  found  log-cabins  in  which  people 
were  living  in  as  primitive  a  way  as  did  the  earliest 
pioneer.  This  included  cooking  the  meals  on  the  fire- 
place-hearth, all  sleeping  in  one  room  and  carrying  the 
water  from  a  spring  a  long  distance,  or  maybe  dipping 
it  from  a  nearby  stream. 

However,  the  great  majority  of  people  lived  in  rela- 
tively comfortable  frame  houses  and  had  about  them 
fairly  well-kept  lawns,  though  the  lawnmower  had  not 
yet  come  in  use.  But  in  that  period  practically  every 
home  had  its  three  regulation  holes,  namely,  the  cellar, 
the  well  and  the  excavation  beneath  the  privy;  and  too 
often  for  the  best  sanitary  results  these  holes  were  much 
too  near  each  other.  In  the  spring,  with  the  coming  of 
heavy  rains,  the  cellar  would  often  be  flooded  with  water 
and  this  would  be  contaminated  with  spoiled  potatoes, 
rotten  turnips  and  apples  and  maybe  decayed  cabbages, 
and  what  the  over-flowing  privy  vault  contained  need 
not  be  specified.  That  the  nearby  well  suffered  from  the 
percolations  from  the  cellar  and  excavation  beneath  the 


114  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Hakness 

privy  is  known  to  all  who  have  investigated  such  mat- 
ters. Many  years  ago  when  I  was  ser\dng  as  Health  Offi- 
cer of  Champaign  City  I  found  the  vilest  privy  vault 
within  ten  feet  of  a  well,  both  of  which  were  full  of  water 
as  it  was  in  the  rainy  season,  and  both  were  used  by  the 
owner  of  the  premises.  This  was  long  before  Champaign 
got  its  sewer  system,  while  it  was  as  yet  only  a  big  village 
and  when  practically  all  so-called  privy  vaults  were  sim- 
ply uncemented  holes  in  the  ground. 

In  the  late  seventies  the  more  progressive  people  be- 
came cognizant  of  the  foul  privy  menace  and,  to  in  some 
degree  minimize  this,  made  use  of  boxes  so  that  the  con- 
tents meantime!  well  saturated  with  lime,  could  be  re- 
moved at  intervals.  Others  built  the  privy  over  a  vault, 
made  watertight  by  cement. 

Later  soft  coal  displaced  wood  as  a  heat  producer  in 
which  it  was  more  effective  and  could  be  purchased  for 
less  than  cutting  the  wood  into  firelengths  would  cost, 
but  it  had  the  great  fault  of  being  dirty.  However,  as 
time  passed  hard  coal  base  burners  were  introduced  and 
those  in  better  circumstances  began  the  use  of  these  and 
found  that  while  cleaner  they  also  heated  much  more 
evenly  than  soft  coal-heaters.  That  this  innovation  added 
much  to  the  comfort  of  the  home  need  not  be  said. 

Very  few  people  made  use  of  ice  in  hot  weather  and 
the  poorer  class  being  without  cellars  had  no  means  of 
preserving  fresh  meat  and  preventing  milk  from  souring 
and  butter  from  getting  strong  and  going  bad.  From 
these  and  other  causes,  not  so  apparent,  people  in  that 
day,  much  more  than  now,  suffered  from  'bilious'  at- 
tacks and  cholera  morbus — practically  all  of  which  corre- 
sponds to  what  today  we  call  auto-intoxication.  For 
similar  reasons  infants  were  vastly  more  liable  to  cholera 
infantum. 

The  Civil  War  Era  was  emphatically  the  period  when 
the  two-horse  wagon  "was  in  flower."     A  new  two- 


In  the  Sixties  and  Seventies  115 

horse  wagon  with  a  well-groomed  and  neatly-harnessed 
pair  of  horses  hitched  to  its  front  was  by  many  deemed 
good  enough  to  convey  the  family  to  church,  to  the  Fair, 
to  the  Circus  or  to  the  County-Seat.  Then  of  course  this 
vehicle  was  used  for  a  thousand  and  one  purposes,  such 
as  for  hauling  wood,  corn,  hay,  fodder  and  numerous 
other  products  and  commodities. 

In  the  late  sixties  came  the  spring-wagon,  a  sort  of 
open  buggy  which  supplanted  the  more  cumbersome  two- 
horse  wagon  for  conveying  the  family  to  church  and  else- 
where. In  the  late  seventies  the  more  well-to-do  pro- 
vided themselves  with  family  carriages,  which  in  turn 
displaced  the  spring-wagon.  However,  as  late  as  the 
early  seventies  in  certain  "back-woods"  districts  the 
side-saddle  for  women  was  the  chief  means  of  transpor- 
tation for  such  members  of  the  family  as  were  too  in- 
firm or  too  easy-going  to  walk. 

In  these  same  remote  localities  the  coming  in  of  the 
decade  of  the  seventies  found  certain  families  yet  living 
in  one-room  log  houses  and  more  than  once  I  had  oc- 
casion to  spend  long  houi*s  in  this  kind  of  a  habitation  in 
rendering  much  needed  professional  service.  I  recall  a 
lying-in  case  that  I  had  in  one  of  these  one-room  log 
houses.  Near  the  center  of  one  end  of  the  one  room  was 
a  large  open  fireplace,  which  besides  affording  heat  in 
cold  weather  served  the  family  as  the  only  place  for  pre- 
paring meals.  In  one  corner  near  the  fireplace  was  a 
walnut  cupboard,  which  contained  the  dishes  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  cooking-utensils,  used  in  the  simple 
culinary  operations.  Nearby  was  a  two-leaved  table 
which,  when  opened  out,  served  a  useful  purpose  for  the 
family  to  gather  around  and  eat  their  frugal  meals.  One 
of  these  meals  I  saw  prepared  from  its  inception  till  it 
was  placed  on  the  cloth  ready  to  be  eaten.  First  of  all  a 
brisk  fire  was  gotten  underway  till  a  goodly  supply  of 
red  coals  were  produced,  then  these  were  pulled  out  in 


116  Sixty  Years  in  the  JMedical  Harness 

front  of  a  newly-dressed  white-oak  board  that  stood  on 
edge  on  the  hearth  near  the  fire  and  upon  which  had  been 
spread  some  properly-spread  cornmeal  dough,  all  in 
readiness  to  be  cooked  by  the  heat  from  the  red  coals  in 
front.  This  I  learned  was  to  be  a  real  "Johnny-cake,"  a 
most  popular  method  of  cooking  corn  bread  in  the  South, 
and  when  so  prepared  by  the  natives,  especially  relished. 
Meanwhile  a  teakettle  of  water  was  heating  on  the  wood- 
fire,  on  some  coals  on  the  hearth,  some  savory  ham  was 
being  fried  in  a  skillet  provided  with  legs  to  admit  of 
coals  being  placed  under  it.  On  some  more  coals  on  the 
hearth  was  a  "spider,"  covered  with  an  iron  lid  upon 
which  were  live  coals.  In  due  time  this  lid  was  removed 
and  a  well-cooked  and  toothsome  apple-pie  was  revealed. 
On  another  pile  of  coals  on  the  hearth  was  a  steaming 
coffee  pot.  Meanwhile  the  folding-table  had  been  put  in 
the  center  of  the  room,  a  white  spread  put  over  it  and 
on  this  were  put  the  blue-edged  dishes,  spoons,  knives, 
forks  and  tumblers.  And  though  the  tablecloth  was  of 
coarse  material,  knives  and  two-tanged  forks  with 
wooden  handles  and  tumblers  of  the  commonest  grade  of 
glassware,  yet  all  were  so  clean  and  spotless,  one  could 
easily  read  through  and  beyond  them  the  thrift  and  in- 
dustry of  the  housewife  who  cared  for  all.  In  a  little 
time,  the  Jonny-cake,  ham  and  coffee  all  found  their 
places  on  the  table  and  in  addition  there  were  a  number 
of  dishes  containing  preserves  of  several  kinds,  jams, 
peach,  apple  and  plum  butter.  Such  was  the  abundance 
of  good  things  that  this  one-room  log-cabin  could  place 
before  its  guests. 

In  the  end  of  the  room  opposite  the  fireplace  and  in 
its  opposite  corners,  were  two  beds,  in  one  of  which  was 
the  wife  and  expecting-to-be,  again  a  mother,  conse- 
quently an  obliging  neighbor-woman  had  prepared  the 
meal  at  the  fireplace  while  two  or  three  more  stood  near- 
at-hand  to  help  at  the  bedside,  table  or  fireplace,  as  the 


A  Doctok's  Conveyance  in  the  Sixties  and  Seventies 


A     I)(H   lOli's     Vo^\\:\ASVE     IS     THK     Eu.IlTlKS     AM)     Nl.NHTlKS 


In  the  Sixties  and  Seventies  117 

need  indicated.  So  obliging  and  helpful  were  the  neigh- 
bors in  that  period,  not  to  say,  sympathetic. 

Not  more  than  a  half  mile  away,  but  a  little  further 
in  the  timber  and  a  little  further  down  the  creek,  was 
another  one-room  cabin  where  I  was  once  detained  with 
the  care  of  a  patient  through  one  night  and  part  of  the 
day  following,  and  0,  how  different  from  the  one  just 
described!  Dirt,  grime,  grease  everywhere.  Biscuit 
nearly  as  large  as  saucers  and  yellow  with  saleratus. 
Side-meat  swimming  in  its  own  fat.  Coffee  that  was  evi- 
dently "made  over"  from  "grounds"  that  had  seen  use, 
and  with  about  the  strength  of  normal  dishwater. 
Finally  this  far-from  appetising  food  was  served  on  a 
much-used  and  dirty  tablecloth,  the  dishes  were  cracked, 
some  of  them  with  pieces  broken  out  and  some  of  the 
greasy  knives  and  forks  were  in  part  devoid  of  handles. 
People  of  the  kind  who  lived  in  the  class  of  cabins  last 
described  were  lazy,  shiftless  and  as  they  always  "hug- 
ged" the  streams  and  lived  in  the  woods,  were  known  as 
"timber-rats,"  and  were  notorious  for  never  paying  a 
doctor  bill.  Such  as  these  were  said  to  be  "nuts"  for 
young  doctors  whose  patients  were  few,  but  old,  estab- 
lished physicians  were  wise  enough  to  "give  them  the 
goby." 

In  lieu  of  cellars,  some  people  in  hot  weather,  were 
wont  to  put  their  butter  and  cream  in  small  tin-con- 
tainers and  let  these  down  in  the  well,  where  the  tem- 
perature was  low,  but  sometimes  the  lid  would  come  off, 
and  maybe  out  in  the  well  would  go  cream  or  butter,  as 
the  case  might  be, — this  to  the  unsettling  of  the  house- 
keeper's temper  and  to  the  temporary  contamination  of 
the  water. 

As  to  screening  the  house,  this  was  sometimes  im- 
perfectly done,  and  in  other  instances  became  defective 
with  time,  and  as  a  result,  the  wire  seemed  more  effective 
in  keeping  flies  in  than  keeping  them  out.    Here  let  it  be 


118  Slkty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

observed  that  in  that  period  there  were  twenty  typhoid- 
flies  (house-flies)  where  there  is  one  today, — ^largely  from 
the  fact  that  the  automobile  has  displaced  the  horse  in 
no  small  degree. 

Kerosene  for  lighting  purposes  was  introduced  just 
prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  little  later 
fully  displaced  the  tallow  candle  that  had  long  served  its 
purpose  in  dissipating  night-time  darkness,  to  a  degree 
at  least,  in  most  homes.  Coal  oil  lamps  and  chimneys 
properly  cleaned  gave  a  satisfactory  light,  but  when 
neglected  and  the  lamp  allowed  to  become  greasy  and 
chimney  permitted  to  become  clouded  with  dirt  and 
grime  the  light  diffused  was  correspondingly  disappoint- 
ing. One  objectionable  feature  of  coal-oil  lighting  is  the 
characteristic  kerosene  smell  at  all  times  given  off,  but 
which  the  thrifty  housewife,  by  the  exercise  of  care  and 
cleanliness  always  managed  to  reduce  to  a  minimum. 

Working  hours  were  much  longer  than  is  the  case 
today.  On  the  farms  in  the  working  season  the  men 
often  worked  fourteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four  and 
the  women  sixteen !  Indeed,  in  the  fullest  sense,  these 
people  "slaved"  as  some  very  aptly  expressed  the  situa- 
tion, who  were  fully  cognizant  of  all  that  was  involved. 

Amusements  were  few  and  simple  and  Sunday- visit- 
ing was  much  in  vogue  and  served  to,  or  in  some  degree, 
relieve  the  toil  and  tedium  of  the  previous  six  days. 
Going  to  meeting  on  Sunday  was  a  distinct  ' '  let-up ' '  to 
those  in  the  country.  It  gave  the  opportunity  to  meet 
friends  and  neighbors,  all  of  whom  wore  their  "good" 
clothes,  and  came  in  their  best  vehicle,  whether  this  was 
a  newly-painted  two-horse  wagon,  a  spring-wagon,  or  a 
top-buggy,  and  of  course  it  was  an  especial  satisfaction 
to  the  religiously  inclined. 


XI. 


I  CHANGE  MY  LOCATION  AND  FIND  WORK 

AMONG  THE  PIONEERS  OX  THE 

PRAIRIES 

Is  there  no  balm  in  Gileadf 

Is  there  no  physician  there* — Jeremiah. 

AFTER  practicing  my  profession  in  Chatham  about 
two  years  I  became  restless  and  decided  if  a  tempt- 
ing door  opened  to  change  mj^  location.  Some  of  my 
former  patrons  had  removed  from  Sangamon  County, 
to  Champaign  County,  then  a  relatively  new  country, 
and  had  written  to  me  and  asked  if  I  would  not  like 
to  come  where  they  were  and  go  into  practice  among 
them?  The  suggestion  induced  me  to  pay  a  visit  to  my 
friends  in  Champaign  County  and  make  a  personal  in- 
spection of  what  seemed  to  my  former  patrons  a  veri- 
table land  of  promise.  And  a  "land-of -promise"  I  cer- 
tainly found  it  to  be,  for  most  of  its  good  and  substan- 
tial conveniences,  and  indeed  not  a  few  of  its  comforts 
were  as  yet  in  the  future.  A  large  portion  of  it  was  vir- 
gin prairie.  Most  of  the  houses  on  the  land  that  had 
been  brought  under  the  plow  were  simple  "shacks,"  a 
one-room  shanty  built  of  up-and-down,  rough,  unpainted 
boards  with  a  ' '  lean-to ' '  in  the  rear  for  a  kitchen.  About 
these,  prairie  grass  was  still  growing  and  seemed  ready 
to  smother  out  the  few  very  small  fruit  and  shade  trees 
that  the  owner  had  set  out  with  hope,  centered  in  the 
future.  Stables  for  the  horses  were  built  of  the  same 
up-and-down  boards  and  covered  with  slough-grass 
which  made  a  kind  of  thatched,  but  very  serviceable 
roof. 

In  winter  weather  these  shacks  were  heated  with 

119 


120  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

bituminous  coal  and  corn  cobs, — the  coal  hauled  from 
the  nearest  railway  station  and  the  corn  cobs  a  most 
abundant  by-product  of  the  corn  raised  and  shelled  on 
the  premises.  In  some  of  the  homes  were  heating  stoves, 
but  in  many  of  them  a  cook  stove  was  made  to  do  double 
duty  in  keeping  the  people  warm  and  cooking  the  food 
for  the  family. 

The  people,  all  of  whom  were  pioneers,  worked 
hard,  dressed  very  plainly  and  lived  simply,  neverthe- 
less, something  about  them  appealed  to  me  and  so  I 
decided  to  cast  mj^  lot  among  them  and  take  my  chances, 
let  the  outcome  be  what  it  might.  Accordingly  I  engaged 
board  and  lodging  at  a  large  and  newly  built  brick 
house  on  the  prairie,  the  home  of  an  extensive  farmer, 
stock-dealer  and  trader,  and  which  was  nearly  five  miles 
from  the  nearest  railway  station  and  postoffice.  This 
done,  I  returned  to  Chatham  and  set  about  making  pre- 
parations for  closing  up-  my  business  and  leaving  that 
place.  My  books,  trunk  and  other  possessions  I  shipped 
by  rail  and  my  horse  I  decided  to  mount  and  ride  across 
the  country  to  my  destination,  something  like  one  hun- 
dred miles  a  little  northeast  from  Chatham. 

Finally  after  spending  my  last  evening  in  Chatham 
with  "my  best  girl"  I  early  one  morning  towards  the 
last  of  January,  1871,  got  in  the  saddle,  rode  to  Spring- 
field, there  took  the  road  east  and  just  at  nightfall 
reached  the  village  of  Illiopolis,  where  I  put  up  for  the 
night.  Illiopolis  has  the  distinction  of  at  one  time  being 
the  rival  of  Springfield  in  seeking  to  become  the  State 
Capital.  Everyone  who  has  spent  the  greater  part  of 
a  cold  day  in  riding  realizes  that  this  conduces  to  sleep 
the  night  following.  But  notwithstanding  this  experi- 
ence when  my  head  touched  the  pillow  that  night  in 
Illiopolis  I  was  wakeful  for  a  time  for  the  reason  that 
my  mind  was  occupied  with  the  thought  that  after  all, 
I  was  maybe  making  a  mistake  in  leaving  Chatham  and 
some  good  friends  I  had  made  there.   But  of  course  one 


Prairie  Pioneers  121 

never  knows  and  trusting  all  would  be  well  and  hoping 
I  would  find  just  as  good  ones,  and  maybe  better,  for 
the  old  adage  tells  us  there  are  just  as  good  fish  in  the  sea 
as  those  taken  out,  I  fell  asleep  and  slept  soundly  till 
daylight  when  I  hurriedly  got  up,  saw  to  the  feeding  of 
my  horse,  ate  a  hasty  breakfast  and  was  again  in  the 
saddle.  A  little  after  noon  I  passed  through  Decatur 
when  for  the  first  time  the  sun  came  out  since  I  had 
started  on  my  journey.  About  sunset  I  reached  Bement, 
and  spent  the  night  there.  Next  morning  I  was  again  in 
the  saddle.  Before  noon  I  had  reached  the  west  border 
of  Champaign  County,  passed  through  the  villages  of 
Ivesdale  and  Sadorus,  then  reached  Tolono,  where  I  left 
the  road,  I  had  for  the  third  day  been  on  since  leaving 
Springfield  and  which  paralelled  the  line  of  the  Wabash 
Railway,  and  rode  across  the  country  nine  miles  south- 
east to  the  brick  farmhouse  which  was  destined  to  be  my 
temporary  home  and  the  center  of  literally  a  country 
practice  for  nearly  three  years. 

The  season  of  my  arrival  was  mid-winter  and  in 
that  new  country  everything  was  as  bare  and  uninviting 
as  one  could  well  imagine,  but  I  resolved  to  make  the 
best  of  it,  and  the  thought  of  the  agreeable  people  I  had 
met  made  this  seem  the  easier. 

And  now  a  word  relative  to  my  immediate  surround- 
ings. My  boarding  place,  as  elsewhere  stated,  was  a 
large  brick  farmhouse  in  which  I  was  given  a  large  up- 
stairs room  for  an  office  and  sleeping  apartment.  The 
house  had  been  recently  built  and  was  heated  by  a  crude 
furnace  in  which  only  wood  was  burned,  with  the  result 
that  in  cold  weather  the  up-stairs  was  seldom  warm 
enough  for  comfort.  In  a  large  closet  that  opened  out 
of  my  room  I  kept  my  medicines  and  other  furnishings 
needed  in  my  work. 

My  landlord,  a  Mr.  A.,  was  a  unique  character.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  energetic  men  I  ever  knew,  worked 
early  and  late  and  strove  to  have  every  one  about  him 


122  Sixty  Years  in  the  JVIedical  Harness 

do  the  same.  He  had  a  section  of  land,  (six  hundred  and 
forty  acres)  in  his  home  place,  raised  large  crops  of 
com  and  oats  and  fed  large  droves  of  hogs  and  cattle. 
When  he  desired  to  go  anywhere,  or  do  any  particular 
thing  no  weather,  however  cold  or  stormy,  was  permitted 
to  prevent  the  accomplishment  of  what  he  had  in  mind. 
He  was  hospitable  and  kept  "open  house"  after  the 
manner  of  Virginians  of  which  he  was  one.  His  educa- 
tion had  not  gone  beyond  the  three  "R's"  and  to  say 
that  he  "murdered  right  and  left  the  King's  English" 
is  only  stating  a  naked  truth.  However,  he  was  bright, 
had  a  fine  sense  of  humor,  could  tell  a  story  well,  and  in 
doing  so  his  eyes  would  twinkle  and  his  face  light  up 
with  enjoyment  and  appreciation.  On  a  sideboard  in 
the  sitting  room  he  always  kept  a  bottle  of  whiskey  and 
this  he  unfailingly  offered  to  his  guests,  let  them  be 
whom  they  might.  His  table  was  always  abundantly 
supplied  with  plain,  but  hearty  food  and  no  one  who 
came  about  the  place  at  or  near  meal-time  was  allowed  to 
go  away  without  a  cordial  invitation  to  dine  or  sup  as  the 
case  might  happen  to  be.  For  certain  ones  in  the  com- 
munity who  were  parsimonious  about  the  cupboard  and 
table  he  had  utter  contempt.  But  while  he  was  a  hos- 
pitable and  generous  host  woe  be  to  him  with  whom  he 
drove,  or  attempted  to  drive,  a  trade, — unless  the  "par- 
ty to  the  second  part"  was  especially  alive  to  the  situ- 
ation and  "had  his  wits  about  him."  In  the  winter 
months  my  landlord  was  frequently  the  victim  of  colds ; 
and  when  one  of  these  "settled  on  his  lungs"  as  he 
expressed  it,  he  expectorated  a  great  deal  of  frothy 
mucus;  and  this  he  deposited  promiscuously, — pro- 
miscuously in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word.  Little  was 
the  difference  where  he  might  be,  whether  in  the  kitchen, 
the  dining  room,  the  sitting  room,  the  parlor,  or  the 
spare  bedroom,  when  he  felt  the  impulse  to  expectorate, 
out  it  came  on  the  floor,  on  the  best  carpet,  on  the  walls, 
and,  in  fact  the  bed  and  table  were  often  in  danger  of 


Prairie  Pioneers  123 

this  contamination.  At  such  times  his  coughing  fits  were 
of  aggravating  intensity,  especially  resounding  in  tone 
and  served  to  almost  shake  the  house.  This  bronchial 
trouble  attended  him  through  much  of  the  time  in  the 
winter  season  and  all  he  could  be  persuaded  to  use  for 
it  was  Balsam  of  Fir  which  had  been  recommended  and 
which,  nothwithstanding  his  faith  in  it,  seemed  to  have 
no  effect  in  the  way  of  bettering  the  more  persistent  and 
annoying  symptoms. 

Following  the  medical  history  of  my  landlord  it  is 
proper  to  say  that  he  lived  past  his  three  score  years  and 
ten  and  finally  died  from  the  results  of  a  stroke  of 
apoplexy. 

In  some  particulars  I  find  I  am  ahead  of  my  story. 
I  shall  never  forget  my  first  patient  after  locating  at  the 
farmhouse.  It  was  a  woman  who  had  recently  been  con- 
fined and  was  suffering  with  an  inflammed  breast.  The 
standard  treatment  for  such  cases  in  that  day  was  Phy- 
tolacca decondra  internally  and  an  ointment  of  belladon- 
na externally.  Phytolacca  it  will  be  recalled  is  our  well 
known  poke  root.  I  prescribed  a  tincture  of  the  last 
named  and  this  with  the  belladonna  ointment  properly 
applied  seemed  to  effect  a  cure ;  at  any  rate  the  patient 
recovered  after  using  the  medicines.  Most  of  the  troubles 
I  was  called  upon  to  treat  were  those  usually  incident 
to  the  winter  season,  such  as  colds,  coughs,  bronchitis 
and  other  lung  troubles.  With  of  course  now  and  then 
a  labor  case.  As  practiced  in  that  pioneer  locality  ob- 
stetrics was  a  very  simple  art,  and  at  the  risk  of  some 
repetition  I  wiU  now  describe  it  in  detail. 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  asepsis  and  anti-sepsis, 
as  we  have  them  today,  were  neither  understood  theor- 
etically, nor  made  use  of  practically.  The  trained  nurse 
had  not  yet  appeared  on  the  scene  and  even  the  "prac- 
tical nurse"  was  to  all  intents  and  purposes  unknown. 
Two  or  three  female  neighbors  came  in  and  did  what  they 
could  in  the  way  of  assisting  where  and  when  needed. 


124  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

When  the  "pains"  came  to  be  persistent  the  doctor  was 
sent  for  and  as  soon  as  he  arrived  he  called  for  hot  water 
and  in  this  he  washed  his  hands  and  next  made  a  digital 
examination.  If  the  os  was  found  but  little  dilated  he 
would  maybe  return  to  his  office,  or  at  any  rate  tell  the 
patient  that  his  services  would  not  be  needed  for  a 
time  as  the  case  had  not  progressed  far  enough  for  him 
to  be  of  assistance.  In  the  event  the  doctor's  office  was 
miles  away  the  attendant  remained  and  passed  the  time 
as  best  he  could.  Perhaps  he  would  get  his  hat  and  go 
out  and  look  at  the  various  things  about  the  place,  such 
as  horses,  hogs,  cattle,  etc.,  or  if  it  was  in  the  growing 
season  he  would  maybe  look  at  the  crops,  fruits,  vege- 
tables and  growing  things  generally.  On  the  other  hand 
if  he  was  "bookishly"  inclined  he  would  come  as  near 
"ransacking"  the  house  as  circumstances  would  allow, 
for  a  possible  "find"  in  the  literary  way,  and  some- 
times he  would  be  richly  rewarded  in  the  most  linex- 
pected  ways  and  places.  I  recall  once  finding  a  nice, 
leather-bound  copy  of  Irving 's  life  of  Columbus  in  a 
shack  occupied  by  a  famity  who  had  no  idea  whatever 
of  literary  values. 

Meanwhile  if  the  doctor  was  wise  he  would  show  his 
interest  by  now  and  then  looking  in  on  his  patient  and 
thus  keeping  "in  touch."  This  leads  me  to  say  that  in 
that  day  frequent  digital  examinations  were  made  and 
were  deemed  harmless.  We  now  know  that  the  greater 
part  of  these  were  uncalled  for  and  M^ere  attended  with 
more  or  less  risk.  But  the  teachings  of  that  time  were 
different  and  we  were  expected  to  note  the  progress  of 
the  case  by  means  of  repeated  examinations. 

Finallj^  when  the  os  was  well  dilated  and  the  pains 
became  strong  and  regular  all  present  realized  that 
labor  had  begun  in  earnest  and  that  they  must  act 
accordingly.  One  of  the  patient's  hands  was  grasped  by 
a  woman,  who  held  it  firmly  during  a  pain,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  patient's  other  hand  was  seized  by  a 
second   woman    in   the    same    way.     Meantime   the    ac- 


Prairie  Pioneers  125 

eoucheur  made  himself  useful  in  any  manner  that 
seemed  most  needed.  Too  often,  as  we  see  it  today,  with 
his  index  finger,  he  was  noting  the  progress  of  the 
occiput  on  its  way  through  the  parturient  canal. 

Among  the  means  of  preparation  a  clean  sheet  folded 
upon  itself  several  times  was  placed  under  the  patient 
where  later  fluids  would  appear  in  greater  or  less  quan- 
tity. Under  this  folded  sheet  and  next  the  bed,  in  lieu 
of  rubber,  was  placed  sometimes,  and  indeed,  almost 
anything,  that  would  absorb  fluids,  such  as  an  old  calico 
dress,  an  ancient  skirt,  a  ragged  quilt,  and  I  came  near 
saying  an  old  horse  blanket,  but  this  would  be  "stretch- 
ing the  truth"  a  little,  though  not  a  great  deal.  In  due 
time  a  cry  more  or  less  lusty  would  proclaim  the  fact 
that  a  new  life  had  begun  its  existence ;  and  at  this 
stage  it  was  always  the  doctor's  duty  to  announce  the 
sex  of  the  new  arrival.  Sometimes  when  this  was  done 
a  shade  of  disappointment  would  pass  over  the  mother's 
face  if  a  girl  came  on  the  scene  when  a  boy  was  pre- 
ferred, and  visa  nersa.  In  not  a  few  instances  the  fact 
developed  that  a  name  for  the  new-born  had  been 
selected,  as  James,  or  some  other  masculine  cognomen, 
if  it  proved  to  be  a  boy;  and  Mary,  or  some  similar 
appellation,  if  a  girl. 

Next  the  cord  was  cut  and  then  the  infant  was 
handed  over  to  one  of  the  women  to  be  washed  with  the 
admonition  to  be  careful  and  not  get  soap  in  the  little 
one's  eyes.  After  the  washing  the  cord  was  dressed  by 
placing  a  piece  of  old  cotton  or  muslin  duly  scorched 
and  greased  on  the  infant's  navel  and  over  this  was 
pinned  the  binder.  The  youngster  was  now  ready  for  its 
baby  clothes  which  the  mother  had  prepared  with  due 
care  and  pride.  When  fully  dressed  the  babe  was  placed 
beside  its  mother  who  looked  it  over  with  a  smile  of 
satisfaction, — an  almost  unequalled  smile  of  satisfaction 
in  the  event  the  babe  was  a  first-born. 

While  the  infant  was  being  washed  the  doctor  bus- 


126  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

ied  himself  in  removing  the  afterbirth,  securing  the  de- 
sired contraction  of  the  uterus,  putting  in  place  the 
mother's  binder,  and  applying  a  compress  saturated 
with  a  weak  solution  of  carbolized  water.  This  was  di- 
rected to  be  renewed  from  time  to  time.  A  solution  of 
ergot  was  left  to  secure  uterine  contraction  in  the  event 
undue  hemorrhage  occurred.  In  case  the  "after-pains" 
were  unduly  severe  some  powders  of  morphine  were  left 
to  be  used  as  needed. 

This  done  the  doctor  took  his  leave  with  no  expecta- 
tion of  making  a  subsequent  visit  unless  sent  for. 
Such  in  brief  was  the  manner  and  method  of  conducting 
a  labor  case  in  the  third  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury and  for  an  ordinary  normal  confinement  the  attend- 
ant was  expected  to  charge  ten  dollars.  Well,  maybe  this 
was  all  he  earned  but  sometimes  it  seemed  that  he 
earned  his  fee  two  or  three  times  over.  Forceps  were 
seldom  used  and  in  some  instances  the  doctor  would  be 
detained  from  twenty-four  to  forty-eight  hours. 

When  abortion  occurred  a  reasonable  attempt  was 
made  to  rid  the  uterus  of  its  contents,  but  to  attain  this, 
curetment  was  never  resorted  to.  And  I  am  here  to 
testify  that,  notwithstanding  our  relative  ignorance  of 
the  use  of  antiseptics  we  got  better  results  than  do  the 
over-meddlesome  practitioners  of  today  who  with  their 
ever-ready  curettes  scratch,  scrape  and  painfully  de- 
nude an  already  wounded  and  sensitive  surface.  Later 
on  in  my  professional  life,  more  than  once  I  have  known 
a  highly-trained  and  high-priced  specialist  come  from 
his  home  in  a  large  city  and  proceed  to  curette  a  poor 
woman  who  had  had  the  misfortune  to  miscarry  and 
who  later  had  the  further  misfortune  to  go  to  her  grave ! 
Under  similar  circumstances  with  patients  no  worse  I 
have  seen  in  country  practice  patient  after  patient  make 
a  good  recovery;  and  this  with  nothing  but  rest  in  bed 
and  the  exercise  of  ordinary  cleanliness. 


Prairie  Pioneers  127 

What  was  the  degree  of  our  success  in  obstetric 
practice  ?  Fairly  good, — at  any  rate  most  of  the  mothers 
went  steadily  on  having  child  after  child  and  these  all 
healthy,  or  at  least  substantially  so.  In  my  practice  on 
the  prairies  I  can  recall  but  two  cases  of  puerperal  sepsis 
following  confinement,  and  in  both  instances  another 
physician  was  the  accoucheur.  In  one  of  these  cases  the 
house  had  burned  down  just  before  labor  occurred  and 
the  family  moved  into  a  little  old  shack  that  happened 
to  be  on  the  premises.  About  a  month  after  the  confine- 
ment the  patient  fell  in  my  hands  and  on  my  first  visit 
I  found  her  surroundings  almost  indescribably  filthy; 
and  what  was  worse  there  were  no  means  to  effect  much 
improvement  in  these.  The  result  was  I  was  compelled 
to  "trust  to  luck";  and,  strange  to  say  "luck"  was  on 
my  side  and  after  a  time  my  patient  began  to  improve 
and  finally  at  the  end  of  long  weeks  was  able  to  sit  up 
and  in  the  end  made  a  good  recovery. 

The  second  case  of  puerperal  sepsis  that  fell  in  my 
hands  after  confinement  was  a  large  German  woman 
whose  symptoms  were  less  acute  than  were  those  of  the 
patient  described  above,  but  she  was  in  bed  for  a  long 
period  and  was  months  in  making  a  complete  recovery. 

Speaking  of  Germans,  there  was  a  considerable  set- 
tlement of  German  peasants  on  the  prairie  and  their 
mode  of  living  was  as  far  as  possible  from  sanitary. 
Their  bed  furnishings  were  simple  in  the  extreme  and 
consisted  of  two  ticks,  one  of  straw  upon  which  they 
slept  and  one  of  feathers  which  they  pulled  over  them 
in  cold  weather.  To  say  that  these  ticks  from  use  became 
dirty  would  not  express  half  the  truth,  for  they  became 
vile  and  filthy  almost  beyond  belief.  In  many  instances 
I  have  seen  them  literally  encased  with  black,  sticky 
filth, — not  even  relatively  decent  dirt ! 

But  no  matter  with  what  disease  they  were  afflicted, 
nor  how  severely,  strange  to  relate  they  nearly  all  re- 
covered.   Indeed,  among  these  people  with  their  filthy 


128  Sixty  Years  in  TEm  Medical  Harness 

beds  and  surroundings  to  match  I  can  now  recall  but 
one  death  and  that  was  in  the  case  of  a  child  with  men- 
ingitis. The  only  way  I  can  account  for  this  is  to  con- 
ceive that  these  people  had  somehow  acquired  a  high 
degree  of  resistance,  or  as  we  would  say  today  their 
opsonic  indices  must  have  registered  very  high,  and 
consequently  to  many  things  they  must  have  grown 
immune. 

In  sharp  contrast  to  the  above  I  recall  a  German  fam- 
ily who  were  noted  far  and  near  for  the  immaculate 
manner  in  which  the  home  and  surroundings  were  kept. 
The  house  was  a  one-room  shack  with  a  lean-to  built 
of  up-and-down  rough  boards,  but  within,  the  floors 
fairly  shone,  they  were  so  clean;  the  door  and  window- 
cases  were  likewise,  and  the  window  panes  were  so  clear 
and  spotless  as  to  seem  almost  invisible.  As  to  the  kitch- 
en and  all  that  came  from  it, — well,  it  was  an  unmixed 
pleasure  to  have  meal-time  fall  due  during  the  period  of 
a  professional  visit. 

All  my  patrons  and  newly-made  acquaintances  were 
engaged  in  farming.  At  the  farmhouse  where  I  roomed 
and  boarded  was  a  school  teacher  who  temporarily  made 
his  home  there.  He  was  two  or  three  years  my  senior 
and  I  soon  learned  that  teaching  was  but  a  pastime 
with  him  and  that  he  was  engaged  in  the,  to  him,  much 
more  attractive  vocation  of  making  money.  He  was 
the  owner  of  several  farms  and  loaned  money  to  such  as 
could  furnish  satisfactory  security.  Later  he  finished 
his  school  and  changed  his  boarding-place  to  another 
farmhouse.  While  his  tastes  were  quite  different  from 
mine,  yet  being  near  my  own  age,  he  proved  to  be  the 
most  fit  associate  I  found  while  practicing  on  the  prai- 
rie. Later  he  removed  to  a  part  of  Iowa  noted  for  rich 
soil  where  his  money-making  instinct  found  full  play 
and  the  last  I  heard  of  him  he  was  a  millionaire. 

Notwithstanding  the  off-and-on  companionship  this 


Prairie  Pioneers  129 

young  man  afforded  me,  during  nearly  the  whole  of  my 
stay  at  the  prairie  farmhouse  I  was  a  pronounced  suf- 
ferer from  social  starvation.  There  were  several  nice 
girls  in  the  neighborhood,  most  of  whom  were  several 
years  my  juniors,  but  while  I  felt  kindly  towards  all 
of  them  I  did  not  go  out  of  my  way  to  seek  their  com- 
pany. About  the  only  chance  for  meeting  these  people 
when  at  their  best  was  at  church,  or  as  called  in  that 
day,  "meeting."  Most  of  the  farmers'  families  were 
Methodists,  or  at  any  rate  gave  their  adhesion  to  that 
sect.  That  was  an  era  of  church-building  in  this  part  of 
Illinois  and  on  the  prairie  new  churches  could  be  seen 
going  up  in  whatever  direction  one  traveled.  Indeed, 
these  were  so  numerous  that  one  could  be  found  in  about 
every  fourth  mile.  There  was  a  large  barn  so  situated  on 
the  prairie  that  it  was  said  that  from  its  cupola  no  less 
than  six  of  these  newly  erected  churches  could  be  count- 
ed in  the  farming  country  around. 

I  attended  the  dedication  of  one  of  these  churches 
at  which  the  Rev.  Hiram  Buck  preached  the  sermon  and 
at  its  close  went  at  the  congregation,  "  teeth-and-toe- 
nails"  for  the  remainder  of  the  funds  needed  to  com- 
plete paying  for  the  cost  of  the  church.  It  was  inter- 
esting to  see  and  hear  him  as  he  asked,  pleaded  and  liter- 
ally begged  for  what  was  needed.  At  last  subscriptions 
were  promised  till  only  ten  dollars  were  lacking.  In  a 
moment  a  sturdy  farmer  arose  and  directed  that  his 
subscription  be  increased  ten  dollars.  Before  the  last 
subscriber  could  take  his  seat  a  broad  smile  lighted  up 
the  countenance  of  the  preacher  and  rising  on  his  tip- 
toes he  exclaimed,  ** Bully!  Bully!" 

The  premises  all  about  the  hospitable  brick  house 
were  fairly  alive  with  yellow-legged  chickens,  which 
when  dressed  and  fried,  were  reputed  to  be  a  favorite 
dish  with  all  Methodist  preachers.  As  the  mistress  of 
the  brick  house  was  an  expert  at  frying  chicken  no  one 


130  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

of  her  preacher-guests  could  ever  find  cause  for  com- 
plaint on  that  score. 

In  the  last  days  of  1873  I  bade  good-bye  to  my  prai- 
rie location  and  a  young  preacher  very  soon  after  suc- 
ceeded me  as  a  boarder  at  the  brick  farmhouse. 

In  that  day  Edward  Eggleston  was  a  popular  and 
very  much  read  author  and  one  of  his  numerous  stories 
was  the  "Circuit  Rider."  I  happened  to  know  that  my 
preacher-successor  at  the  farmhouse,  whom  we  will  call 
the  Reverend  B.  had  just  been  reading  with  very  great 
interest  this  book,  then  just  out.  One  of  the  chief  char- 
acters in  the  "Circuit  Rider"  was  a  crude,  shrewd, 
forceful  man  and  a  successful  Indiana  farm^er  in  pion- 
eer days.  It  so  happened  that  this  coarse,  sagacious 
hoosier-farmer,  this  diamond-in-the-rough,  had  a  daugh- 
ter who  in  her  way  was  one  of  nature's  queens,  for 
she  was  modest,  good-looking,  amiable,  bright  and  in 
every  way  winning.  Well  what  should  happen  but  that 
a  young  circuit  rider,  an  especially  promising  man,  who 
frequently  accepted  the  hospitality  of  the  Hoosier  farm- 
er, "took  a  shine"  to  his  fair  daughter,  courted  her, 
married  her  and  found  in  her  a  faithful  wife,  a  good 
home-maker  and  later  on  a  model  mother. 

It  so  happened  that  Mr.  A.,  alreadj^  referred  to  as 
the  owner  of  the  brick  house  on  the  prairie,  the  wonder- 
fully energetic  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  the  shrewd, 
crude,  forceful,  unique  character  and  for  two  years  my 
landlord,  had  for  his  eldest  daughter  a  sweet,  modest, 
comely  young  woman.  And  what  should  happen  ?  What 
should  happen?  Why  history  repeated  itself  not  long 
after  the  young  Reverend  B.  had  read  and  and  a  num- 
ber of  times  re-read  the  Circuit  Rider.  History  repeated 
itself  when  young  Reverend  B.  straightway  made  love 
to  the  eldest  daughter  of  his  rough,  shrewd,  landlord, 
— the  prairie  "diamond  in  the  rough".  Well  the  young 
preacher 's  advances  were  favorably  received  and  in  due 
course  a  big  wedding  was  celebrated  at  the  brick  farm- 


Prairie  Pioneers  131 

house  on  the  prairie,  attended  by  all  the  neighbors 
around.  Again  historj^  repeated  itself  and  subsequently 
recorded  several  facts  among  which  was  that  the  comely 
daughter  of  the  rough  landlord  of  myself  and  the  Rev- 
erend B.  made  a  most  faithful  wife,  a  good  home-maker 
and  a  devoted  mother.  So  it  is  that  good  old  Mother 
Nature  manages  to  solve  some  of  her  problems. 

Later  came  summer  with  its  heat  and  drought  for 
there  was  a  long  period  with  little  rainfall.  The  coun- 
try was  new  and  being  all  prairie  was  of  course  wholly 
devoid  of  forest  trees  and  most  of  those  which  had  been 
planted  were  as  yet  small.  However,  a  few  of  the  longer 
settled  homes  had  about  them  trees  which  had  attained 
some  size  and  their  rich  green  leaves  and  the  cool  shade 
they  cast  during  the  long  hot  summer  days  were  almost 
unspeakably  alluring  as  seated  in  the  saddle  I  rode  past 
to  visit  some  newcomer  who  was  sick  almost  to  death 
in  his  little  shack  about  which  was  neither  tree  nor  shrub. 

As  is  usually  the  case  in  newly  settled  countries 
most  of  the  wells  were  shallow  and  with  the  coming  of 
dry  weather  many  of  them  failed  in  their  water-supply. 
However,  some  of  the  more  well-to-do  already  had 
driven-wells,  hollow-iron  tubes  reaching  down  fifty  to 
two  hundred  feet  to  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  water 
which  was  lifted  to  the  surface  by  a  pump  driven  by  a 
wind-mill  on  a  strong  frame  some  twenty  feet  above  the 
ground-level.  Cisterns  were  very  few  and  the  rain-water 
barrel  beside  the  kitchen  door  furnished  an  uncertain 
supply  of  soft  water  which  too  often  became  alive  with 
"wiggle-tails"  which  later  became  mosquitoes,  and  many 
of  them  carrier  of  the  Plasmodium  malaria  with  which 
in  late  summer  and  early  autumn  most  of  the  dwellers 
on  the  prairies  were  doomed  to  be  infected.  But  in 
that  period  the  most  advanced  physician  was  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that  such  a  thing  as  a  malarial  parasite  existed ; 
and  consequently  never  so  much  as  dreamed  that  the 
seemingly    harmless   mosquito    literally    vaccinated    its 


132  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

unsuspecting  victims  with  what  later  produced  some 
form  of  malarial  fever.  Most  frequently  the  tertian, 
or  as  the  common  people  had  it,  "  every-other-day 
ague";  the  quartan,  or  "third-day-ague",  and  which 
one  old  German  always  called  the  "shree  day  ager. " 
The  quartan  type  w^as  so  rare  as  to  be  almost  a  curiosity. 
Then  there  was  the  estivo-autumnal,  commonly  called 
remittent  or  bilious  fever.  Of  all  these  different  forms 
of  malarial  fever  we  now  know  the  innocent-looking 
"wiggle-tails"  in  the  pioneer's  rain-water  barrel  a  little 
later  in  their  life-histories,  became  the  guilty  purveyors. 
But  of  all  this,  as  said  above,  patient  and  doctor  alike 
were  absolutely  ignorant  in  the  period  of  which  I  write. 
The  region  of  country  where  I  had  found  my  new 
location  was  the  heart  of  the  Illinois  corn-belt  and  the 
soil  was  eighteen  to  tAventy-four  inches  deep  with  a  yel- 
low, jointed  clay  underneath.  With  the  breaking  up 
of  winter,  the  simultaneous  melting  of  snow,  ice  and 
frozen  ground,  the  roads  in  all  this  locality  became 
almost  impassable,  indeed,  not  infrequently  were  ab- 
solutely so  for  wheeled  vehicles.  Sometimes  too,  after 
a  general  thaw-out  it  would  turn  cold,  a  light  "freeze" 
would  occur  that  would  result  in  a  one  or  two  inch 
crust  over  a  deep  layer  of  mud  beneath,  and  a  rider 
attempting  to  guide  his  horse  over  this  would  find  the 
animal  struggling  and  floundering  as  it  broke  through 
at  each  successive  step.  Wlien  this  was  the  condition, 
and  an  urgent  call  was  received,  the  doctor  would  take 
his  medicines  and  start  out  on  foot,  and  by  picking 
out  his  pathway  along  the  fences  and  in  the  edge  of 
the  fields,  would  after  much  effort  and  labor  finally 
reach  the  bedside  of  his  patient.  Later  would  come 
the  spring-rains  when  the  whole  country,  an  almost  un- 
broken level  surface,  would  be  flooded  with  water,  and 
in  visiting  his  patients  the  doctor  would  find  his  route 
through  sloughs  and  ponds  in  which  the  water  would 
in  places  come  up  to  his  stirrup  straps.    Again  his  way 


Prairie  Pioneers  133 

would  be  across  unbridged  streams  swollen  out  of  their 
banks  and  if  the  doctor  escaped  with  no  worse  mishap 
than  a  cold  footbath  he  could  count  himself  fortunate. 
Occasionally  in  the  months  of  February  and  March, 
heavy  snows  would  fall  and  the  roads  would  fill  with 
drifts  and  the  way  would  have  to  be  found  around 
through  the  fields  or  by  the  way  of  some  out-of-the-way 
lane.  So  much  in  the  way  of  background  in  the  country 
doctor's  life,  but  fortunately  his  days  had  their  lights 
no  less  than  shadows  and  some  of  the  former  came  with 
the  soft  air  and  warm  showers  of  April  which  touched 
and  quickened  the  roots  of  the  prairie  grass  till  these 
sent  up  tiny  shoots  which  later  grew  and  in  due  course 
put  forth  the  rich,  green  blades  upon  which  the  herds 
fed  and  grew  slick  with  fatness.  Meantime  in  these  early 
spring  days  the  violets,  cowslips  and  buttercups  covered 
the  earth  with  their  rich  colorings  and  made  of  the 
prairie  wilderness  one  vast  flower  garden.  All  this  while 
the  farmer  was  busy  plowing  his  lands  and  planting 
his  crops  and  a  little  later  his  eyes  met  ' '  the  little  germ- 
inating seeds,  just  thrusting  their  pale  heads  up  through 
the  soil,  saw  the  clustering  green  shoots,  numerous  in 
the  signs  of  plenty  and  all  crowding  together  and 
clamoring  for  light,  for  air,  and  room.  He  saw  the  pre- 
vailing of  the  tall  and  strong  upthrusting  stalks,  after 
the  way  of  life,  saw  the  others  dwarf  and  whiten,  and 
yet  cling  on  at  the  base  of  the  bolder  stem,  parasites, 
worthless,  yet  existing,  after  the  way  of  life. 

' '  He  saw  the  great  central  stalks  spring  boldly  up,  so 
swiftly  that  it  almost  seemed  possible  to  count  the  suc- 
cessive leaps  of  progress.  He  saw  the  strong-ribbed 
leaves  throw  out,  waving  a  thousand  hands  of  welcome 
and  assurance,  these  blades  of  the  corn,  so  much  might- 
ier than  any  blade  of  steel.  He  saw  the  beckoning  ban- 
ners of  the  pale  tassles  out  atop  of  the  stalk,  token  of 
fecundity  and  the  future.  He  caught  the  wide-driven 
pollen  as  it  whitened  the  earth,  borne  by  the  parent 


134         Sixty  Yeaejs  in  the  Medical  Harness 

west  wind,  mother  of  increase.  He  saw  the  thickening  of 
the  green  leaf  at  the  base,  its  swelling,  its  growth  and 
expansion,  till  the  indefinite  enlargement  showed  at 
length  the  incipient  ear.  He  noted  the  faint  brown 
ends  of  the  sweetly-enveloping  silk  of  the  ear,  pale- 
green  and  soft  underneath  the  sheltering  and  protecting 
husk.  He  found  the  sweet  and  milk-white  tender  kernels 
row  upon  row,  forming  rapidly  beneath  the  husk,  and 
saw  at  length  the  hardening  and  darkening  of  the  husk 
at  its  free  end,  which  told  that  man  might  pluck  and 
eat.  And  then  he  saw  the  fading  of  the  tassels,  the 
darkening  of  the  silk  and  the  crinkling  of  the  blades, 
and  there  borne  on  the  strong  parent  stem,  he  noted 
how  many  full-rowed  ears,  protected  by  their  husks 
and  heralded  by  the  tassels  and  the  blades :  ' '  Come,  come 
ye,  all  ye  people !  Enter  in,  for  I  will  feed  ye  all ! '  '* 

A  song  for  the  plant  of  my  own  native  West, 

Where  nature  and  freedom  reside, 
By  plenty  still  crowned,  and  by  peace  ever  blest. 

To  the  corn!   the  green  corn  of  her  pride! 

Bordering  the  prairie  on  the  east  was  the  Embarass, 
familiarly  called  the  "Ambraw"  River  a  little  larger 
than  the  average  creek,  and  both  banks  of  which  were 
skirted  with  timber.  On  the  western  edge  of  the  prairie 
was  the  Kaskaskia,  commonly  called  the  "Okaw"  and 
of  much  the  same  size  and  character  as  the  ''Ambraw" 
a  number  of  miles  to  the  east.  Like  its  neighbor  stream 
both  of  its  banks  were  heavily  timbered.  In  this  wooded 
region  were  a  number  of  ''timber-rats"  or  "squatters" 
who  lived  in  one-room  log  cabins  with  half  a  dozen  or 
more  children,  as  many  dogs  of  miscellaneous  breed, 
though  one  or  more  was  sure  to  be  a  yellow  deer-hound. 
The  head  of  the  family  was  usually  hatchet-faced,  with 
long  upkempt  hair  and  whiskers,  sallow  complexion,  an 
unwashed  face  and  hanging  to  and  about  his  usually 

•  Emerson  Hough. 


Prairie  Pioneers  135 

long,  lank  form,  was  an  ill-fitting  suit  of  faded  butter- 
nut. 

The  wife  and  mother  was  more  often  than  otherwise 
tall,  slender,  with  untidy  hair,  a  tired,  woe-begone 
countenance  and  with  an  old  faded  calico  dress  clinging 
to  rather  than  fitting  her  ungainly  form.  Fortunately 
for  the  country,  progressive  farmers  on  contiguous  prai- 
rie land  bought  out  these  "timber-rats"  and  they 
"moved  on."  No  doubt  the  growing  scarcity  of  game 
and  wild  animals  made  these  people  all  the  more  willing 
to  sell  out,  for  hunting  and  trapping  had  furnished 
them  most  of  their  employment  and  from  it  they  derived 
the  greater  part  of  their  income.  The  more  thrifty 
raised  a  few  acres  of  com  on  "cleared"  land  and  this 
supplied  meal  for  their  "lodgers"  and  feed  for  a  few 
hogs.  Meantime  the  "range"  all  about  afforded  grass 
for  a  cow  and  a  few  sheep.  The  wool  from  the  last  was 
spun  and  woven  in  the  cabin  into  jeans  and  linsey- 
woolsey.  In  an  earlier  day  possums,  raccoons,  wild  tur- 
keys, deer  and  squirrels  were  found  in  the  timber  in 
greater  or  less  numbers.  Meantime  prairie  chickens 
were  in  great  plenty  on  the  prairie  and  quail  were  found 
everywhere.  After  I  came  to  Champaign  County  an 
occasional  deer  would  come  to  the  pastures  in  winter 
time  and  eat  corn  and  fodder  with  the  cattle  and 
horses.  Today  save  rabbits  and  a  few  squirrels,  game  of 
all  kinds  has  practically  all  been  banished  from  our 
limits. 


XII 


AGAIN  IN  THE  AMPHITHEATER 

Men  must  he  taught  as  if  you  taught  them  not, 
And  things  unknown  proposed  as  things  forgot. 

Selected. 

AS  I  had  now  rounded  out  three  years  of  practice 
while  still  an  undergraduate  it  seemed  that  the 
time  was  ripe  for  me  to  attend  a  course  of  lectures  and 
finish  my  education — that  is,  finish  it  in  a  sense,  for  a 
right  thinking  man  is  always  a  learner  and  from  this 
standpoint,  should  never  regard  his  education  complete. 
As  I  now  lived  within  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles 
of  Chicago,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  visit  that  city,  to 
spend  the  winter  of  1871-2  there,  attend  a  course  of  lec- 
tures at  one  of  its  two  leading  schools,  namely  the  Chi- 
cago Medical  College  and  Rush,  and  as  I  had  recently 
formed  some  friendships  that  led  me  to  regard  the  last 
named  school  in  a  favorable  light,  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
sit  on  its  benches  during  the  ensuing  course  of  lectures. 

Accordingly,  with  this  object  in  mind,  I  began  to 
make  my  arrangements  to  get  all  in  readiness,  so  that 
when  the  longed-for  time  came  for  me  to  make  my  con- 
templated trip  to  Chicago  and  matriculate  at  Rush  Medi- 
cal College,  there  would  be  no  hitch  or  break  in  my  plans. 
Of  course,  as  always  in  the  career  of  a  struggling  young 
country  practitioner  of  medicine,  the  paramount  ques- 
tion to  be  considered  was  the  financial  one.  Conse- 
quently, I  set  about  collecting  up  bills  closely  and  find- 
ing I  was  on  safe  ground  in  this  direction,  felt  com- 
paratively easy  and  patiently  waited  for  the  time  of  my 
expected  trip  to  come  round.  However,  as  things  turned 
out,  I  was  unexpectedly  delayed  on  account  of  a  patient 

136 


Again  in  the  Ampitheatre  137 

I  had  on  hand,  but  after  a  little  circumstances  were  such 
that  I  could  leave  and  I  was  ready  to  go  to  the  railway- 
station  and  board  a  train  for  Chicago  when,  like  a  flash 
of  lightning  from  a  clear  sky,  came  the  news  that  that 
city  was  on  fire  and  was  likely  to  be  all  consumed !  Two 
or  three  days  later,  word  came  that  the  flames  were  sub- 
dued, but  not  till  a  large  portion  of  the  city  had  been  re- 
duced to  ashes.  Of  course,  thus  I  found  all  my  plans 
disconcerted  and  in  my  particular  case,  history  had  re- 
peated itself,  to  an  extent  at  least,  as  the  following  will 
show.  In  the  autumn  of  1867  I  was  planning  to  go  to 
Chicago  and  matriculate  at  the  Chicago  Medical  College, 
attend  the  winter  course  of  lectures  in  that  institution 
and  in  the  end,  possibly  get  my  name  on  its  list  of 
Alumni,  but  my  financial  plans  miscarried  and  I  was 
compelled  to  bow  to  what  then  seemed  to  be  the  in- 
evitable ;  in  the  autumn  of  1871,  four  years  later,  I  had 
all  arrangements  made  to  go  to  Chicago,  attend  a  course 
of  lectures  at  Rush  Meidcal  College  and  in  the  spring 
maybe  have  the  good  fortune  to  be  enrolled  among  its 
graduates.    But, 

The  best  laid  schemes  o'  mice  an'  men 
Gang  aft  a-gley, 

and  the  Fates  seemed  to  have  decreed,  for  the  time  being 
at  least,  that  I  go  elsewhere  than  Chicago  to  get  my 
medical  degree. 

It  was  under  these  circumstances  that,  after  due 
consideration,  I  concluded  to  go  to  Cincinnati  and  at- 
tend the  winter  course  of  lectures,  given  at  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.  One  bright  morning,  I  parted  with  my 
good  country  friends,  bade  goodbye  to  the  prospects  of 
long  rides  and  hard  trips  over  the  country  during  the 
ensuing  winter,  drove  to  the  railway  station,  took  an 
Illinois  Central  train  for  Odin,  Illinois,  a  crossing  on 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  railway,  where  I  boarded  a 


138  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

train  directly  for  Cincinnati  where  I  arrived  just  before 
day  the  following  morning.  The  forenoon  was  rainy 
and  dreary  for  a  time  but  later  the  sun  came  out.  as 
likewise  did  I,  and  found  my  way  to  the  office  of  Dr. 
W.  W.  Dawson,  who  filled  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the 
Ohio  Medical  College.  Dr.  Dawson  was  in  his  prime, 
a  thick,  heavy  set  man,  a  skillful  surgeon  and  a  genial 
agreeable  gentleman.  He  was  about  to  step  in  his  car- 
riage and  make  some  calls  and  very  kindly  asked  me  to 
accompany  him.  I  recall  one  of  the  patients,  a  young 
wealthy  Jew,  who  had  sarcoma  of  the  upper  jaw,  and 
who  had  already  passed  into  an  anemic,  broken-down 
state  that  betokened  an  early  death,  and  really,  under 
the  circumstances,  much  to  be  hoped  for. 

Before  taking  leave  of  Dr.  Dawson  he  directed  me  to 
the  Building  of  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  and  going 
there  and  making  some  inquiries,  an  obliging  student 
took  me  to  the  Secretary  of  the  faculty,  Dr.  James  T. 
Whittaker,  and  I  matriculated  as  a  student  and  paid 
my  fees.  I  went  at  once  to  the  amphitheater  and  heard 
a  lecture  on  anatomy  from  Professor  Gobrecht,  who 
filled  that  chair.  He  was  a  very  learned  man  in  his  de- 
partment and  was  the  American  editor  of  Wilson's 
Anatomy,  an  English  work  which  later  was  largely 
displaced  by  Gray's  recent  volume  on  the  same  subject. 
For  the  last  named  contribution  to  the  field  of  Anatomy, 
Dr.  Gobrecht,  never  had  much  use  and  in  his  lectures 
subsequently  was  constantly  referring  to  it  in  reproach- 
ful terms.  At  this  time  he  was  perhaps  fifty  years  of 
age,  but  was  quite  gray  and  seemed  older.  As  a  teacher, 
he  was  excessively  prolix  and  seemed  utterly  devoid 
of  the  faculty  of  separating  the  wheat  from  the  chaff, 
or  in  other  words,  seizing  the  essentials  that  a  student 
should  learn,  while  ignoring  useless  minutia.  However, 
I  found  many  students  enthusiastic  in  his  praise.  Mean- 
while, I  wisely  kept  my  tongue  but  could  not  help  men- 
tally contrasting  him  with  Dr.  Ford  of  Michigan  Uni- 


Again  in  the  Ampitheatre  139 

versity,  and  very  greatly  to  the  letter's  advantage.  As 
I  remember  it,  Dr.  Gobrecht  spent  nearly  the  whole 
winter  on  the  bones  of  the  skeleton.  Fortunately  we  got 
a  great  deal  of  practical  knowledge  from  another  source 
namely,  from  Dr.  P.  S.  Conner,  who  filled  the  chair  of 
Surgical  Anatomy.  Dr.  Conner  at  this  time  was  in  the 
prime  of  young  manhood,  gave  us  good  instruction  and 
always  impressed  me  as  a  man  especially  well  informed 
in  all  that  pertained  to  both  surgery  and  anatomy. 
Dr.  W.  W.  Dawson  who  filled  the  surgical  chair,  was 
a  clear,  concise  lecturer,  never  worried  us  with  useless 
details  that  we  would  surely  forget  anyway. 

Dr.  Thaddeus  A.  Reamy  had  just  come  to  the  college 
where  he  was  filling  the  chair  of  Obstetrics,  was  finely 
formed,  very  nice  looking  and  dressed  well  and  was  a 
good  teacher  and  was  well  liked  by  the  students. 

Dr.  Roberts  Bartholow  was  in  the  prime  of  his  career 
and  at  this  time  filled  the  chair  of  Therapeutics  and 
Materia  Medica.  He  was  known  to  be  a  hard  student, 
and  impressed  us  with  the  idea  that  he  knew  all  about 
drugs  and  their  actions  that  was  to  be  known.  While  he 
was  a  good  lecturer,  his  talking  in  the  amphitheater  was 
not  as  easily  followed  as  that  of  some  others. 

Dr.  W.  W.  Seely,  filled  the  chair  of  Otology  and 
Ophthalmology.  He  was  well  versed  in  his  specialty, 
operated  skillfully  in  his  chosen  field,  and  was  in  the 
prime  of  young  manhood,  dressed  like  a  dude  and  parted 
his  hair  in  the  middle,  a  thing  few  men  did  in  that  day. 

Dr.  C.  D.  Palmer  filled  the  chair  of  Diseases  of  Fe- 
males most  acceptably.  He  was  a  clear,  forcible  talker 
and  an  excellent  instructor.  He  was  in  the  prime  of 
young  manhood,  and  was  at  that  time  rather  slender  in 
stature. 

Dr.  Nickles  was  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  was  a 
good  instructor  and  gave  interesting  demonstration  be- 
fore the  class.   At  this  period,  laboratory  work  in  chem- 


140  Sixty  Yeaks  in  the  Medical  Harness 

istry  was  not  required  of  students,  or  at  least  it  was  not 
obligatory. 

Dr.  James  T.  Whittaker  filled  the  chair  of  Physiol- 
ogy and  though  probably  not  then  thirty  years  of  age, 
was  nevertheless,  one  of  the  student's  particular  favor- 
ites in  the  amphitheater.  He  was  finely  educated,  a  hard 
student,  and  already  enjoyed  a  large  practice  and  his 
future  seemed  especially  promising.  He  was  a  good 
teacher,  spoke  to  the  point  and  upon  occasion  could 
make  use  of  beautiful  language.  Later  he  filled  suc- 
cessively the  chairs  of  Therapeutics  and  Practice.  He 
died  very  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth 
century  with  cancer  of  the  rectum. 

Dr.  James  M.  Graham  filled  the  chair  of  Practice 
and  was  exceptionally  interesting  as  a  lecturer.  He  was 
at  this  time  beginning  to  be  an  elderly  gentleman,  al- 
ways appeared  cleanly  shaven,  not  then  in  the  fashion ; 
at  all  times  he  was  immaculate  and  dressed  elegantly. 
He  made  the  impression  of  being  a  "  gentleman-of-the- 
old-school,"  and  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  students, 
by  whom  he  was  familiarly  known  as  "Jimmy"  Gra- 
ham. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  there  were  ten  professors 
in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  at  this  time.  This  school 
had  exclusive  control  of  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital 
and  its  faculty  gave  clinical  lectures  in  its  amphitheater 
regularly.  We  were  also  admitted  to  clinical  lectures 
at  the  Cincinnati  Hospital,  a  much  larger  institution 
than  the  Good  Samaritan.  At  that  period,  Cincinnati 
was  relatively  a  much  more  important  city  than  is  the 
case  today,  better  built  up  and  larger  than  Chicago  and 
St.  Louis,  Its  hospitals  were  much  superior  to  those 
of  its  more  western  rivals. 

I  made  it  a  practice  to  attend  the  sessions  of  the 
Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine,  where  I  had  oppor- 
tunity to  listen  to  the  presentation  of  able  papers,  the 


Again  in  the  Ampitheatre  141 

report  of  interesting  cases  and  finally  their  discussion 
by  the  brightest  men  in  the  city.  Of  the  latter,  in  addi- 
tion to  certain  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  Ohio  Med- 
ical College  already  enumerated,  I  recall  Drs.  Com- 
egys,  M.  B.  Wright  and  W.  B.  Carson.  Dr.  Comegj's 
was  a  very  fine  looking  man  and  just  beginning  to  ap- 
pear elderly,  and  always  talked  interestingly  on  internal 
medicine.  Dr.  M.  B  .Wright,  a  veteran  obstetrician,  was 
already  up  in  years  and  listened  to  attentively  by  all 
students.  Dr.  W.  B.  Carson  was  called  the  ablest 
diagnostician  in  the  city  in  those  days — he  was  not  a 
fluent  speaker,  but  the  fact  that  he  always  had  some- 
thing to  say  and  was  known  to  be  so  able,  caused  him 
to  be  heard  with  due  interest  at  all  times.  He  also  gave 
us  lectures  at  the  Good  Samaritan. 

Dr.  Dawson  not  unfrequently  operated  in  the  amphi- 
theater of  the  Good  Samaritan,  and  while  he  was  a  good 
surgeon  and  a  judicious  operator,  I  sometimes  thought 
him  a  little  brusk  and  rough  with  his  charity  patients. 
I  remember  one  day  of  his  bringing  in  a  man  with  large 
ulcers  on  both  legs  and  below  the  knee,  so  large  indeed 
that  a  great  deal  of  the  surface  over  his  shins  and  calves 
was  denuded.  Skin  grafting  was  just  coming  in  use 
and  it  was  proposed  to  try  and  heal  the  denuded  parts 
in  this  case.  Accordingly,  the  patient's  legs  were  ex- 
posed, some  points  freshened  in  the  denuded  surfaces, 
some  bits  of  cuticle  snipped  from  the  arm  of  a  man 
who  had  just  raised  his  sleeve  for  that  purpose,  the  bor- 
rowed tissue  put  in  place,  appropriate  dressings  applied 
to  recipient  and  doner,  the  latter  dismissed,  and  the 
former  returned  to  his  ward.  From  first  to  last  there 
was  no  preparation  in  the  cuticle  that  was  transferred 
nor  in  the  point  where  it  finally  rested ;  what  we  call 
anti-septic  precautions  were  then  utterly  unknown  in 
practice.  When  the  patient  was  brought  in  the  amphi- 
theater and  the  nature  of  the  intended  operation  re- 


142         Sixty  Years  m  the  Medical  Harness 

vealed,  a  student  who  sat  next  to  me  whispered  in  my 
ear,  "If  those  big  patches  heal  over  that  man  will  die 
just  as  sure  as  shooting ! ' '  This  was  in  conformity  with 
a  popular  belief  of  the  day,  or  rather  with  the  day 
that  was  then  passing,  which  taught  that  it  was  always 
hazardous  to  suddenly  stop  a  discharge  from  a  large  sur- 
face over  the  denuded  cuticle,  be  this  discharge  from 
whatever  cause.  Strange  to  say,  two  or  three  weeks 
later,  we  had  an  autopsy  in  the  amphitheater,  and  who 
should  the  subject  prove  to  be,  but  the  man  with  the 
large  denuded  patches  on  his  legs !  If  I  remember  right- 
ly, in  those  days  when  little  or  nothing  was  known  of 
practical  asepsis  and  anti-sepsis,  autopsies  and  opera- 
tions followed  each  other  promiscuously  and  as  circum- 
stances might  dictate,  in  the  one  amphitheater,  of  the 
Good  Samaritan.  But  this  is  not  suggesting  for  a  mo- 
ment that  those  in  authority  were  not  fully  abreast  with 
all  the  medical  advances  of  the  day.  Indeed,  I  got  the 
impression  that  Cincinnati  at  this  period  was  especially 
progressive  in  the  medical  way. 

It  is  a  sad  thing  that,  with  possibly  one  or  two  ex- 
ceptions, all  the  men  named  above — my  teachers  and 
certain  other  leaders  of  the  Cincinnati  profession  of  that 
day — have  crossed  to  the  Great  Beyond. 

While  attending  this  course  of  lectures  at  Cincinnati 
during  the  winter  of  1871-2,  I  had  two  room  mates,  both 
of  whom  gave  me  occasion  to  never  forget  them.  The 
first  one  whom  we  will  call  Charley  Phelps,  was  a  young 
man  about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  a  fine  handsome 
fellow  who  always  dressed  nicely.  His  father  was  a 
physician  in  good  practice  and  furnished  his  son  with 
all  the  money  he  needed.  Charley,  for  so  I  came  to 
call  him,  was  bright,  companionable,  played  the  flute 
with  great  skill  and  had  so  many  ways  of  making  him- 
self agreeable,  that  I  concluded  I  had  been  especially 
fortunate  in  the  selection  of  a  room  mate.  Matters  went 
on  in  this  pleasant  way  for  a  considerable  time,  till  one 


Again  in  the  Ampitheatre  143 

evening  Charley  was  not  at  the  room  to  go  to  supper 
with  me,  did  not  come  home  after  I  had  returned,  and 
finally  bedtime  came  and  still  he  was  away.  I  waited  till 
a  late  hour,  then  undressed  and  went  to  bed  and  after 
sleeping  for  a  time  was  aroused  by  the  door  suddenly 
opening  and  closing,  with  a  bang,  and  some  one  at  the 
same  time  giving  a  whoop  like  a  Comanche  Indian.  At 
first  I  was  frightened,  but  by  the  flickering  flame  in  the 
open  grate,  I  soon  saw  that  the  supposed  intruder  was 
none  other  than  Charley,  gloriously  drunk,  as  the  phrase 
goes.  There  was  nothing  to  do,  but  to  make  the  best  of 
a  bad  situation,  so  I  got  up  and  spoke  to  him  kindly 
and  got  him  to  lie  down  with  his  clothes  on,  as  he  was 
much  too  limp  to  undress.  In  a  moment,  he  was  snor- 
ing, and  I  returned  to  bed,  but  could  sleep  but  little. 
When  morning  came  I  got  up,  went  to  breakfast,  then 
to  lectures,  leaving  Charley  in  bed.  When  I  returned 
to  the  room  at  dinner,  he  had  gotten  up  and  gone  away 
and  I  saw  no  more  of  him  until  after  supper,  when  he 
was  very  sober  and  penitent  as  well.  He  talked  very 
frankly  of  his  besetment,  saying  that  these  fits  came  over 
him  about  so  often  and  that  they  seemed  utterly  irresist- 
ible. I  was  very  sorry  for  him  and  resolved  to  try  to 
help  him  to  reform.  But  later  he  got  another  drunk; 
and  finally,  one  spree  followed  another  a  little  too  fre- 
quently for  my  own  comfort,  so  I  left  the  room  to  him 
and  found  other  quarters.  He  graduated  with  the  rest 
of  us  and  I  have  wondered  what  afterwards  became  of 
him;  he  always  insisted  that  drunkenness  was  a  disease, 
and  should  be  so  treated. 

When  holidays  came,  the  two  weeks  vacation  was 
given  the  students,  a  period  that  made  many  glad,  but 
that  to  me  was  only  so  much  wasted  time,  as  I  was  too 
far  distant  to  make  the  trip  home  without  incurring 
more  expenses  than  I  cared  to,  and  so  there  was  nothing 
for  me  to  do  but  to  pass  the  long  days  alone  as  best  I 
could. 


144  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

In  due  time  the  end  of  the  course  approached  and 
many  candidates  for  graduation  were  fearful  lest  they 
would  not  get  through.  As  I  had  long  been  a  student 
and  had  also  been  in  practice  several  years,  I  enter- 
tained no  such  fears.  Among  those  who  were  especially 
nervous,  was  my  second  room  mate,  a  worthy  man  and 
very  different  in  every  respect  from  the  above-mentioned 
Charley  Phelps,  my  first  room  mate.  This  second  room 
mate  whom  I  will  call  Burton,  was  a  man  somewhat 
older  than  myself,  and  who  had  taught  school  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  was  a  good  student,  tried  very  hard, 
but  was  slow  to  learn  and  altogether  had  come  to  be 
muddled  in  regard  to  medicine.  However,  he  was  a  man 
of  most  excellent  common  sense,  careful  and  painstaking 
by  nature  and  one  who  it  seemed  to  me  would  make  a 
good,  practical  physician.  He  told  me  quite  frankly 
that  he  thought  he  would  fail.  The  examinations  were 
all  written,  each  of  the  ten  professors  giving  ten  ques- 
tions which  were  written  on  a  black-board  before  which 
we  took  our  places  in  the  amphitheater,  all  duly  pro- 
vided with  pencils  and  paper.  In  all  of  these  examina- 
tions Burton  took  his  place  immediately  to  my  right,  and 
as  I  wrote  a  plain  hand,  he  could  see  my  answers  but 
was  of  course  too  wise  to  copy  them  literally.  I  got 
through  without  any  trouble  and  so  did  my  room  mate, 
and  he  seemed  grateful  for  the  assistance  I  had  afforded 
him,  and  I  have  never  suffered  any  conscientious  stric- 
tures for  having  extended  it.  Not  a  great  while  before 
the  close  of  the  term,  Burton  got  out  of  money,  the  re- 
sult of  being  disappointed  in  not  receiving  a  remittance 
from  his  friends  at  home.  I  had  a  little  more  than  was 
needed  for  my  immediate  wants  and  was  glad  to  divide 
with  him.  But  time  went  by  and  still  his  money  failed 
to  arrive,  and  to  meet  his  necessities,  I  loaned  him  fur- 
ther from  my  fast  diminishing  shekels.  Matters  contin- 
ued thus  till  the  arrival  of  the  day,  the  evening  of  which 
was  to  witness  our  graduation.    I  had  planned  to  start 


Again  in  the  Ampitheatre  145 

home  that  same  night,  but  between  meeting  my  own 
expenses  and  those  of  my  room  mate  as  well,  I  now  had 
scarcely  enough  to  board  us  two  days,  to  say  nothing  of 
paying  my  expenses  home.  I  went  to  the  hall  where  the 
commencement  exercises  were  to  occur,  with  a  heavy 
heart,  for  I  was  "broke,"  and  among  strangers.  In  this 
frame  of  mind  I  approached  a  feUow  graduate  older 
than  myself,  and  who  was  likewise  a  practitioner  of 
medicine,  and  though  I  was  not  well  enough  acquainted 
with  him  to  ask  a  favor,  yet  I  frankly  stated  my  case 
and  was  delighted  to  see  him  put  his  hand  on  his  pocket- 
book  and  draw  forth  the  amount  needed  to  take  me 
home.  I  thanked  him  with  all  the  good  grace  I  could 
command,  and  promised  to  recompense  him  as  soon 
as  I  arrived  at  my  home,  a  thing  I  lost  no  time  in  doing. 
A  little  later,  a  letter  arrived  from  Burton,  containing 
every  cent  he  had  borrowed  from  me  and  an  expression 
of  the  regret  he  had  felt  in  putting  me  to  so  much  in- 
convenience and  uneasiness,  all  of  which  goes  to  show 
that  medical  students  in  my  day  were  frequently  close 
run  and  "put  to  it"  to  meet  their  expenses.  I  have 
recently  looked  through  the  National  Directory  of  Phy- 
cians  if  possible  to  find  the  name  and  address  of  my 
benefactor  whose  cognomen  was  Shackleton,  but  without 
success.  Well,  perhaps  he  is  no  longer  an  earthly  dwel- 
ler, and,  if  so,  I  can  but  think  he  has  gone  to  that 
Better  Land  where  all  doers  of  good  deeds  fijially  reap 
their  just  reward.  By  the  way,  this  leads  me  to  say 
that  in  the  long  life  I  have  lived,  I  have  never  yet 
needed  a  friend  that  one  did  not  turn  up  at  just  the 
right  time  and  place.  I  am  something  of  an  optimist, — 
more  correctly, — a  good  deal  of  an  optimist  and  long 
ago  reached  the  conclusion  that  after  all  this  is  a  pretty 
good  old  world,  much  as  it  is  maligned  in  some  quarters. 
Further  than  this,  long  observation  and  contact 
with  many  people  has  led  me  to  believe  that  in  a  very 
large  measure,  one  finds  in  life  about  what  one  is  looking 


146  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

for.  If  one  is  expecting  people  to  be  agreeable,  one  is 
sure  to  find  them  so.  If  one  is  hoping  to  meet  friends 
they  can  be  found  all  about  and  in  all  classes.  A  wise 
man  will  not  fail  to  recognize  a  friend  be  he  ever  so 
humble,  black  or  white. 

Furthermore,  happiness  is  the  goal  to  which  we  are 
all  bound  and  one  of  the  surest  and  most  direct  ways  of 
reaching  this  much  desired  haven  is  to  be  at  substan- 
tially all  times  usefully  employed,  either  with  head  or 
hand.  For,  as  Saint  Benedict  has  so  truly  stated,  ' '  Idle- 
ness kills  the  soul." 


XIII 

I  RESUME  MY  PRACTICE  ON  THE  PRAIRIES 

Trained  in  the  holy  art  whose  lifted  shield 
Wards  off  the  darts  a  never  slumbering  foe 
By  hearth  and  fireside  toaits  to  throw. 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 

HAVING  received  my  degree  at  the  end  of  the  course 
of  lectures  at  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  Cincinnati, 
in  the  spring  of  1872  I  came  back  to  Illinois,  and  re- 
turned to  my  friends  on  the  prairies  and  set  about 
gathering  up  the  threads  I  had  dropped  the  previous 
autumn. 

And  here  a  brief  survey  of  medicine  as  it  was  under- 
stood at  that  period,  now  many  years  in  the  past,  may 
not  be  uninteresting.  In  the  way  of  newer  drugs  that 
later  found  a  permanent  place  in  the  physician's  arm- 
amentarium may  be  mentioned  bromide  of  potassium, 
hydrate  of  chloral  and  carbolic  acid.  Bromide  of 
potassium  had  been  in  general  use  for  several  years 
and  had  about  displaced  such  well  known  nervines  as 
asafoetida,  valerian,  musk,  etc.  Hydrate  of  chloral  was 
new  and  soon  became  popular  as  a  hypnotic  for  which 
I  am  sure  it  was  used  much  more  commonly  than  today. 
Carbolic  acid  was  almost  the  only  local  remedy  that 
was  considered  capable  of  quickening  the  process  of 
healing  in  wounded  or  incised  surfaces,  but  how  it 
contributed  to  this  end  no  one  seemed  to  know,  or  at 
least  no  one  had  definite  ideas.  In  too  many  instances 
it  was  used  in  too  strong  solution.  Indeed,  in  a  clinical 
lecture  I  heard  Dr.  W.  W.  Dawson  of  the  Ohio  Medical 
College,  Cincinnati,  recommend  its  use  in  full  strength 
in  the  case  of  a  compound  fracture.    Of  course,  there 

147 


148  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

were  many  new  remedies,  but  those  mentioned  were 
the  only  ones  I  can  recall  which  won  a  permanent  place. 

Among  new  appliances  were  the  fever  thermometer 
just  coming  into  general  use  and  the  hpyodermic  syr- 
inge that  was  given  to  the  profession  some  years  pre- 
viously and  was  now  in  the  hands  of  most  progressive 
practitioners.  In  the  field  of  surgery  Esmarch's  elastic 
bandages  for  driving  the  blood  from  an  extremity  and 
the  aspirator  for  drawing  of  fluids  from  cavities  were 
of  recent  origin.  At  this  time  much  more  was  expected 
from  the  aspirator  than  ever  has  been  realized. 

The  ordinary  practitioner  of  medicine  necessarily 
limited  his  surgical  practice  to  the  reducing  of  disloca- 
tions and  fractures,  the  dressing  of  wounds,  the  open- 
ing of  abscesses,  the  amputation  of  a  finger  or  toe  and 
rarely  the  amputation  of  an  arm  or  leg.  Appendectomy, 
hysterectomy,  gastrectomy  and  many  more  in  the  long 
list  of  ectomies  were  unheard  of  and  some  of  them  not 
so  much  as  dreamed  of,  even  by  the  boldest  and  most 
enlightened  surgeons.  A  wound  or  operation  that  in- 
volved the  brain,  or  abdomen  was  almost  necessarily 
fatal ;  and  one  that  involved  the  larger  joint  cavities 
generally  resulted  in  blood-poisoning. 

During  the  spring  months  after  returning  from  lec- 
tures, I  had  but  little  in  the  way  of  professional  work, 
but  with  the  approach  of  mid-summer  a  good  many 
cases  of  bowel  trouble  developed  among  the  babies.  The 
most  serious  of  these  we  denominated  cholera  infantum, 
and  the  milder  ones  we  called  infantile  diarrhea. 

Doubtless  the  way  the  pioneers  on  the  prairie  were 
compelled  to  live  had  much  to  do  with  the  etiology  of 
these  cases.  No  one  had  ice  and  very  few  had  cellars  for 
keeping  their  milk  and  butter  sweet;  and  to  accomplish 
the  latter  many  were  in  the  habit  of  putting  both  the 
above-named  articles  in  vessels  with  ropes  attached  and 
lowering  the  containers  to  the  much  cooler  atmosphere 
towards  the  bottoms  of  the  well.    However,  at  best  this 


Again  on  the  Prairies  149 

was  but  a  temporary  make-shift  that  could  not  always 
be  carried  out,  so  that  in  cases  where  infants  were 
hand  fed,  the  approach  of  hot  weather  never  failed  to 
be  accompanied  with  conditions  that  developed  digestive 
troubles  among  them.  But  why  were  there  many  cases 
of  bowel  trouble  among  babes  that  took  their  nourish- 
ment from  the  mother's  breast  only?  Perhaps  an  in- 
quiry into  some  of  the  attending  circumstances  will 
shed  a  ray  of  light  upon  this  matter.  These  mothers  on 
the  prairies  bore  their  full  share  of  the  burdens  of 
pioneer  life,  and  consequently  were  invariably  hard 
workers.  Upon  one  of  the  long,  hot  summer  days  per- 
haps a  young  mother  is  hard  at  work  over  the  wash  tub 
which  she  leaves  to  respond  to  the  persistent  crying  of 
her  first-born  for  nourishment  which  she  supplies  from 
her  hot  breasts,  while  her  cheeks  are  glowing  and  her 
blood  is  bounding  on  its  course.  Meanwhile  the  urgent 
need  of  hurry  in  her  work  is  occupying  the  full  atten- 
tion of  the  young  mother,  and  maybe  she  takes  little  or 
no  pains  to  wipe  and  properly  clean  her  nipples;  and 
before  the  child  takes  them  in  its  mouth  again,  a  drop 
of  milk  remaining  on  their  outer  surface  may  ferment, 
and  at  the  next  nursing-time  be  as  the  ' '  little  leaven  that 
worketh  the  whole  lump,"  resulting  in  first  fermenta- 
ion  and  then  in  severe  bacterial  poisoning  and  there 
follows  the  whole  train  of  symptoms  that  the  older  au- 
thors grouped  and  described  under  the  name  of  cholera 
infantum. 

If  called  in  the  early  stages,  a  brisk  cathartic  of  cas- 
tor oil  would  oftentimes  clean  out  the  intestinal  canal 
and  thus  the  disease  would  be  relieved.  Sometimes  the 
mother  had  already  given  this  remedy  before  the  phy- 
sician's  arrival  so  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  supple- 
ment the  treatment.  Small  doses  of  calomel  and  large 
doses  of  subnitrate  of  bismuth  were  the  most  efficient 
remedies  for  the  more  advanced  cases.  If  there  was 
much  pain,  camphorated  tincture  of  opium  judiciously 


150         Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

given  was  always  helpful.  But  despite  our  best  efforts 
the  great  majority  of  the  more  serious  eases  terminated 
fatally,  and  some  of  those  less  severe  became  chronic 
and  the  child  was  reduced  to  a  skeleton  to  drag  out  a 
few  miserable  months  and  then  perish.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, the  chronic  cases  after  a  long,  tedious  convalescence 
would  at  last  recover.  In  that  period  there  were  many 
more  infants  with  cholera  infantum  and  bowel  trouble 
than  in  our  time  and  these  cases  were  much  more  severe 
owing  to  inferior  modes  of  living. 

Better  knowledge  of  sanitation  has  brought  higher 
standards  of  living  and  the  putting  of  these  in  practice 
has  greatly  improved  the  health  of  infants  and  pre- 
served and  prolonged  the  lives  of  an  untold  number  of 
little  ones.  Not  a  great  while  since  I  was  talking  with 
a  veteran  undertaker  and  he  told  me  that  while  there 
had  been  very  great  increase  in  population,  infant  mor- 
tality in  the  past  third  of  a  century  had  steadily  de- 
creased, if  experience  in  his  business  was  any  criterion, 
and,  of  course,  it  was. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  summer  of  1872  came  the 
last  general,  extensive  endemic  of  malarial  fever  experi- 
enced in  central  Illinois.  This  endemic  lasted  from  the 
last  days  of  July  till  the  coming  of  a  killing  frost,  and 
within  the  bounds  of  my  practice  I  think  almost  no 
one  escaped  an  attack.  All  suffered  sooner  or  later,  from 
the  infant  at  the  breast  to  the  white-haired  grandsire 
sitting  in  the  shade  of  the  up-and-down  board  "shack" 
in  which  the  family  lived.  As  elsewhere  noted  there  were 
three  general  types  of  this  disease,  recognized  by  the 
physician,  and  of  these  the  most  common  was  chills 
and  fever,  or  the  ager  of  the  unlettered,  and  the  intermit- 
tent fever  of  medical  authors.  Oftentimes  with  no  warn- 
ing whatsoever,  the  patient  would  all  at  once  be  seized 
with  a  chill,  his  teeth  would  chatter  and  upon  taking  to 
his  bed  no  amount  of  cover  would  in  any  manner  add 
to  his  warmth.     Later  he  would  have  fever,  headache, 


Again  ox  the  Prairies  151 

aching  in  his  back  and  legs,  and  finally  he  would  seem 
to  be  burning  up  with  a  degree  of  heat,  that  throwing 
off  one  cover  after  another  till  he  was  next  to  naked, 
would  in  no  sense  abate.  In  due  time  came  the  sweating 
that  was  as  profuse  as  the  degree  of  cold  had  been  se- 
vere and  the  sense  of  heat,  intense.  Next  morning  the 
patient,  feeling  little  worse  for  his  previous  day's  ex- 
perience would  get  up  and  go  about  his  usual  business. 
But  the  second  day,  cold,  heat  and  sweating  would  fol- 
low one  another  in  regular  succession,  beginning  at  the 
same  hour  as  that  of  the  previous  attack.  This  the 
usual  type  of  intermittent  fever  the  common  people 
called  ague,  or  "ager, "  as  their  mode  of  speech  might 
dictate. 

Sometimes,  however,  the  attack  would  recur  upon 
each  succeeding  day,  and  in  this  form  the  disease  was 
denominated  every-day-ague. 

A  third  variety  but  one  much  less  common  would 
attack  the  patient,  and  then  leave  him  free  the  next  and 
the  next,  returning  upon  the  third.  This  type  was  com- 
monly known  as  third-day-ague,  and  was  popularly 
supposed  to  be  harder  to  break  up  than  the  other  forms. 

During  this  endemic  I  met  a  number  of  cases  of 
remittent,  or  "bilious"  fever,  the  attacks  of  which  be- 
gan much  like  those  of  ague,  but  did  not  go  off  at  once, 
and,  indeed,  often  kept  the  patient  in  bed  for  a  period 
of  a  week  or  ten  days,  and  when  he  did  get  up  he  would 
be  much  reduced  in  flesh  and  very  weak. 

Severe  and  general  as  this  endemic  of  1872  was,  I 
do  not  remember  of  meeting  a  single  case  of  malignant 
fever,  or  as  the  people  termed  this  type,  congestive 
chills.  Of  course  quinine  was  the  sovereign  remedy  in 
all  acute  cases  of  whatever  type  malarial  fever  might 
assume ;  and  as  it  was  before  the  days  of  tablets  or  cap- 
sules the  drug  had  to  be  given  in  powder-form,  a  most 
intensely  bitter  and  unpleasant  dose,  and  to  overcome 
this,  in  a  measure,  some  patients  were  in  the  habit  of 


152  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

enveloping  the  medicine  in  scraped  apple  and  others 
made  a  crude  wafer  out  of  wheaten  dough  browned 
and  made  palatable  by  heat  and  in  this  wrapped  the 
powder  so  that  it  could  be  swallowed  in  one  dose. 
Sometimes  quinine  was  dissolved  in  one  of  the  stronger 
mineral  acids  as  sulphuric,  muriatic  or  nitric,  properly 
diluted  and  administered.  But  like  most  remedies, 
quinine  was  not  equally  weU  received  by  all  and  there 
were  some  patients  who  found  fault  with  this  drug. 

In  this  connection  I  have  in  mind  one  man  who  had 
a  severe  attack  of  intermittent  fever  and  when  I  was 
about  to  put  him  on  the  stereotyped  treatment  had  a 
good  deal  to  say  against  quinine  and  as  he  did  not  re- 
cover promptly  sent  for  a  physician  who  lived  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  and  who  was  furthermore  something 
of  a  charlatan.  This  man  came,  looked  the  patient  over, 
fell  in  with  the  latter 's  abuse  of  quinine,  put  out  a  large 
number  of  powders  very  blue  in  color,  collected  a  good 
fee  and  took  his  departure.  The  patient  took  his  medi- 
cine and  got  better,  but  he  happened  to  show  some  of 
his  powders  to  a  neighbor  to  whom  he  boasted  of  the 
fact  that  he  didn't  have  to  depend  on  doctors  who  would 
give  quinine  for  ague.  The  neighbor  heard  the  sick  man 
through  but  could  not  refrain  from  smiling  meanwhile, 
and  when  it  came  his  turn  to  speak,  demonstrated  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all  present  that  the  powders  left  by 
the  last  physician  were  composed  of  quinine  and  Prus- 
sian Blue,  the  latter  being  used  as  a  disguise  solely. 

When  the  endemic  had  spent  its  force  so  far  as 
acute  manifestations  were  concerned  there  were  still  a 
number  of  chronic  cases  with  sallow  complexion,  con- 
gested livers,  enlarged  spleens  and  dropsical  limbs,  the 
latter  the  result  of  derangement  of  the  kidneys;  each 
ease  had  to  be  carefully  examined  and  treated  on  its 
merits,  but  arsenic,  iron  and  strychnia  were  indicated  in 
a  considerable  proportion  of  instances.  One  not  unfre- 
quent    sequella    of    malarial    poisoning    was    "night 


Again  on  the  Praibees  153 

"sweats"  a  peculiar  tendency  the  patient  had  of  perspir- 
ing profusely  during  the  night-time.  For  this  trouble 
dilute  sulphuric  acid  came  as  near  being  a  specific  as 
any  remedy  I  ever  used  for  any  disease  whatsoever. 

As  to  the  etiology  of  malarial  fever  the  profession 
was  as  yet  in  the  dark  and  no  progress  in  finding  its 
origin  had  been  made  since  Lancisci,  an  Italian,  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  had  assigned  its 
cause  to  be  marsh  miasm,  or  bad  air,  hence,  the  term 
malaria. 

In  the  days  when  this  disease  was  prevalent,  ob- 
servers were  wont  to  give  it  a  wider  field  of  influence 
than  it  perhaps  fully  occupied,  though  the  true  scope  of 
its  sphere  of  action  was  in  no  sense  limited.  Pervaded 
with  this  idea  many  in  malarious  regions  were  in 
the  habit  of  speaking  of  malarial  pneumonia,  malarial 
dysentery,  malarial  hysteria,  malarial  neuralgia,  and 
so  on  through  the  whole  list,  not  to  speak  of  malarial 
typhoid  which  is  elsewhere  discussed.  Doubtless  to  a 
degree  at  least,  malarial  infection  was  hydra-headed, 
so  to  speak,  and  was  capable  of  assuming  varied  forms 
of  manifestations,  one  of  which  was  neuralgia  of  the 
fifth  nerve,  which  was  so  universally  periodic  in  its 
manifestations  that  it  received  the  common  name  of 
"brow-ague."  However,  it  is  certainly  true  that  most 
physicians  in  malarial  districts  unconsciously  fell  into 
the  habit  of  calling  many  obscure  cases  malarial,  so  that 
this  term  like  the  much  referred  to  "grip"  of  today 
became  too  often  in  the  mind  of  the  physician  a  sort  of 
"Banquo's  ghost"  that  would  never  down.  Malaria 
in  the  old  days,  too,  like  the  "grip"  of  today,  served 
many  as  a  convenient  cloak  to  cover  up  their  haste, 
negligence,  ignorance,  or  perhaps  all  of  them. 

I  was  called  upon  one  hot  summer  day  to  reduce  and 
dress  a  CoUes'  compound  fracture  which  had  occurred 
to  a  boy  about  twelve  years  of  age.  After  a  few  days 
the  father  requested  that  a  consultant  be  called  in  and 


154  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

to  this  I  readily  consented.  The  consultant  was  a  man 
some  fifty  years  of  age  and  was  much  given  to  the  use  of 
the  surgical  knife,  a  rather  unusual  thing  in  that  lo- 
cality and  in  that  pre-antiseptic  era.  He  hailed  from 
a  county-seat  some  nine  miles  from  where  I  was  then 
located  at  a  farm  house.  I  was  young  in  years  and 
consequently  comparatively  inexperienced  in  my  pro- 
fession, and  a  new-comer  in  that  locality,  in  striking 
comparison  to  this  the  man  who  was  called  in  consulta- 
tion was  well  established  in  and  about  his  environment, 
had  some  twenty-five  years'  experience  on  the  credit- 
side  of  the  ledger  and,  moreover,  had  a  due  amount  of 
nerve  and  assurance  to  "tackle  anything,"  as  the  slang 
has  it. 

Well  he  came  in  what  to  my  eyes  at  that  time  seemed 
an  especially  fine  doctor's  rig,  looked  the  case  over  and 
said  the  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  make  a  re-section 
of  the  broken  bone,  the  radius.  There  was  nothing  for 
me  to  do  in  my  relative  inexperience  but  to  give  my 
consent.  Accordingly  after  duly  anesthetising  the  pa- 
tient, the  operation  was  performed.  The  consultant 
used  the  knife,  saw,  bone-forceps  and  needles,  taking 
all  from  a  full  assortment  of  instruments  which  at  that 
time  "bulked  large"  in  my  eyes.  Meanwhile  I  played 
the  part  of  a  modest  assistant  at  best,  and  a  looker-on 
for  most  of  the  time. 

In  the  way  of  preparation  we  washed  our  hands  in 
an  ordinary  way  and  as  the  weather  was  warm  took  off 
our  coats  and  with  no  other  preparation  "waded  in." 
The  operation  over,  my  consultant  put  on  his  broad- 
cloth coat,  donned  his  plug-hat,  pulled  on  his  kid  gloves, 
seated  himself  in  his  nice  "rig,"  touched  his  good 
steppers  with  the  whip,  and  headed  them  for  the  coun- 
ty-seat, his  home  some  nine  miles  distant.  I  got  in 
the  saddle,  and  started  my  horse  in  a  moderate  walk  for 
my  medical  headquarters,  the  farmhouse  some  three 
miles  away,  meantime,  wondering  if  I  should  ever  be 


Again  on  the  Praibebs  155 

so  fortunate  as  to  reach  the  place  in  the  profession  that 
my  consultant,  seemingly,  had.  However,  tempting  as 
his  position  looked  to  a  young  aspirant  there  was  un- 
fortunately a  "flaw  in  the  marble,"  the  consultant,  at 
times  drank  to  beastly  intoxication,  an  unfortunate  fact 
that  was  destined  to  later  on  make  me  some  very  an- 
noying troubles. 

As  time  went  by  it  became  apparent  that  the  re-sec- 
tion of  the  boy 's  radius  would  not  result  as  favorably  as 
the  chief  operator  had  expected  and  as  I  had  hoped,  and 
one  day  the  father  of  the  boy  happened  to  meet  my  erst- 
while consultant  when  he  was  in  his  cups  and  while 
in  this  condition  he  denounced  me  as  the  one  who  was 
primarily  to  blame  for  the  final  none-to-favorable  out- 
come of  the  case.  As  he  was  prominent  in  the  profession 
and  I,  as  yet,  a  mere  boy-doctor,  his  words,  drunken  as 
they  were,  carried  enough  weight  to  move  the  father 
of  the  boy  to  bring  against  me  a  mal-practice  suit,  and 
how  can  I  find  it  possible  to  describe  my  feelings  when 
the  sheriff  served  the  papers  on  me !  To  say  that  I  was 
both  surprised  and  shocked  only  half  expresses  what 
I  at  the  time  experienced  in  the  way  of  mortification 
and  humiliation.  By  nature  I  was  very  sensitive,  more- 
over, I  was  timid  and  afraid  of  people  and  anything 
that  pointed  in  the  direction  of  conspicuosity.  Hence  I 
lost  no  little  sleep  in  wondering  how  I  would  manage 
to  comport  myself  creditably  on  the  witness  stand  before 
the  searching  eyes  and  "prickeel"  ears  of  a  learned 
judge,  twelve  jurors  and  the  alert  and  prying  attorneys 
of  the  prosecution. 

Well  in  due  time  I  manged  to  *  *  pull  myself  together ' ' 
sufficiently  to  have  a  "heart-to-heart"  conference  with 
a  wise  and  kindly  brother  practitioner  in  mature  life 
and  with  many  years'  experience  in  practice.*  With  en- 
couraging words  he  "braced  me  up"  and  finally  went 
with  me  to  the  office  of  a  hard-headed  attorney  to  whom 
I  gave  fifty  dollars  as  a  retainer  \s  fee.    Time  ran  its 

*  Dr.  J.  T.  Pearman  of  Champaign,  Illinois. 


156  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

course  and  all  too  soon  the  time  for  trial  of  my  case 
approached.  However,  not  long  before  the  date  of  the 
trial  a  ease  of  illness  developed  in  my  family  which  nec- 
essitated my  remaining  close  at  home.  These  facts  were 
embodied  in  a  brother-physician's  certificate,  forwarded 
to  the  "  powers-that-be, "  and  the  case  was  postponed. 
Meanwhile  my  erstwhile  consultant  realizing  what  trou- 
ble he  had  made  me  became  penitent  and  sought  an  in- 
terview with  the  boy 's  father  who  was  prevailed  upon  to 
withdraw  the  suit,  pay  the  costs  and  call  it  all  "quits." 
All  of  which  was  of  course  a  great  relief  to  me,  as  can 
readily  be  imagined.  As  said  before,  I  can  think  of 
nothing  that  will  bring  one  nearer  and  more  threaten- 
ingly, to  the  gates  of  hell  than  a  mal-practice  suit. 

Nevertheless,  some  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  profes- 
sion, have  been  made  defendants  in  cases  of  this  class ; 
others  of  less  prominence  have  been  ruined  in  this  man- 
ner. I  have  in  mind  a  medical  acquaintance  who  for 
a  charity  patient  that  came  to  him  one  day  for  treat- 
ment recommended  the  local  use  of  tincture  of  iodine. 
Later,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  something  Hike 
sloughing  occurred  in  the  parts  where  the  application 
had  been  made  and  in  consequence  suit  was  brought 
and  the  defendant  was  mulcted  in  a  sum  that  practically 
broke  him  up.  While  on  a  train  one  day  I  found  myself 
a  fellow-passenger  with  the  attorney  who  had  success- 
fully prosecuted  this  case  and  he  gleefully  recounted  his 
experience  from  beginning  to  end  in  this  suit.  I  have 
since  looked  over  all  the  authorities  within  reach  and 
have  so  far  failed  to  find  any  instance  referred  to  where 
iodine  applied  locally  had  produced  such  untoward  re- 
sults as  the  prosecution  claimed  and,  technically,  proved 
had  occurred  in  that  particular  case. 

From  what  I  have  experienced  and  know  of  mal- 
practice suits,  I  wish  to  repeat  again  and  again  that  if 
any  medical  man  is  curious  to  learn  what  hell-on-earth 
is,  his  curiosity  can  be  promptly  satisfied  by  his  becoming 
a  defendant  in  one  of  these  suits. 


XIV 

FROM  THE  PRAIRIE  TO  THE  VILLAGE 

For  fell  disease  and  death  rode  on  the  air 
And  found  their  ready  victims  everywhere. 

T.  P.  Wilson. 

As  elsewhere  intimated  while  my  practice  among  the 
pioneers  on  the  prairie  afforded  a  due  amount  of  things 
interesting  in  a  professional  way,  yet  I  had  no  colleague 
to  share  this  with  me.  Furthermore  for  want  of  congen- 
ial companionship  my  life  was  a  lonely  one.  Indeed,  I 
was  a  sufferer  from  what  was  only  a  little  short  of 
social  starvation.  Moreover,  outside  of  what  mental 
stimulation  my  professional  work  excited  I  was,  to 
put  it  mildly,  a  sufferer  from  mental  hunger.  True  I 
browsed  on  all  the  books,  magazines  and  papers  that  the 
bounds  of  my  practice  afforded,  but  these  at  best  were 
small  in  quantity  and  often  sorely  lacking  in  quality. 
In  that  day  publications  of  all  kinds  were  not  nearly 
as  plenty  nor  as  cheap  in  price  as  they  grew  to  be  to- 
wards the  end  of  the  19th  century ;  hence  my  small  bank 
account  would  not  admit  of  my  indulging  overmuch  in 
literary  extravagances.  At  least  so  it  then  seemed,  but 
as  I  see  it  today  this  was  an  instance  of  "  penny- wise, " 
and  had  I  to  live  my  prairie  professional  life  over  again 
I  would  subscribe  for  several  good  magazines  and  lay 
in  a  good  stock  of  readable  books  and  from  time  to  time 
add  to  these  liberally.  But  fortunately  for  me  I  had  a 
fair  correspondent  who  afforded  me  no  little  comfort 
and  satisfaction, — that  served  to  solace  me  through 
many  a  lonely  hour,  to  lift  me  up  when  depressed  and 
cheer  me  when  discouraged.  This  fair  correspondent 
was  Miss  Maria  L.  Lewis  of  Chatham,  Illinois,  who  to 
my  agreeable  surprise  and  extreme  satisfaction  had 
promised  to  become  my  wife  while  I  was  a  resident  of 
her  village  three  years  previously.  With  the  approach 
of  the  end  of  the  year  1873  I  made  up  my  mind  to  get 

157 


158  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

married  and  move  to  the  village  of  Tolono  nine  miles 
northeast  of  the  farmhouse  where  I  had  my  office  for 
nearly  three  years.  My  thought  was  that  many  of  my 
old  patrons  would  continue  to  employ  me  and  as  events 
fell  out  this  proved  to  be  true.  Most  of  the  prairie  pio- 
neers were  plain  and  unlettered,  but  they  were  genuine 
and  truer  friends  I  never  had  before  and  have  never  had 
since.  Hence  lonely  as  I  had  been,  privations  that  I 
had  suffered  and  inconveniences  that  I  had  put  up  with 
all  could  not  keep  me  from  feeling  more  or  less  regretful 
that  the  time  had  come  to  sever  my  more  intimate  rela- 
tions with  most  of  my  prairie  patrons. 

In  the  closing  days  of  December,  1873,  I  got  together 
my  belongings  at  the  prairie-farmhouse  where  for 
nearly  three  years  I  had  been  a  dweller  and  took  them 
in  a  two-horse  wagon  to  Tolono.  Next  day  I  boarded 
a  train  for  Chatham,  Illinois,  where  January  1,  1874, 
I  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Maria  L.  Lewis  who 
had  been  my  fiancee  for  three  years;  and  who  for  more 
than  fifty-one  years  since  has  been  a  faithful  wife,  an 
admirable  home-maker  and  a  good,  noble  mother. 

During  her  physical  prime  she  became  the  mother 
of  six  children  all  of  whom,  largely  due  to  her  good 
sense  and  unerring  judgment  and  devotion,  grew  up 
and  are  all  now  in  mature  life.  All  six  are  graduates  of 
the  University  of  Illinois.  Our  only  daughter  is  yet 
with  us  and  is  a  great  stay  and  help  in  every  way.  Our 
five  sons  are  all  stalwart  men  all  out  in  the  world  and 
faring  reasonably  weU  in  the  general  battle  of  life.  Only 
one  of  my  sons.  Dr.  George  T.  followed  in  my  footsteps. 
After  the  wedding  in  Chatham,  I  at  once  brought  my 
young  wife  to  Tolono  and  we  began  housekeeping  in  a 
cottage  we  had  meanwhile  purchased.  Other  than 
myself  there  were  four  physicians  in  Tolono,  two  of 
whom  were  active  and  two  on  the  semi-retired  list.  In 
due  time  all  of  these  became  and  remained  my  good 
friends,  but  they  have  since  all  crossed  to  the   Great 


From  Prairie  to  Village  159 

Beyond.  However,  two  of  them  lived  to  be  octo- 
genarians. 

As  the  summer  of  1874  advanced  the  country  suf- 
fered greatly  from  drought,  and  as  all  the  wells  were 
shallow,  ranging  from  eight  to  twelve  feet  deep,  these 
practically  all  went  dry  and  what  was  but  little  short  of 
a  water-famine  resulted.  Scattered  about  the  prairie 
were  the  dry  beds  of  ponds  and  in  the  bottoms  of  these 
holes  w^ere  dug  and  the  water  secured  in  this  way  was 
put  in  barrels,  carted  round  and  sold  to  households 
for  drinking  and  cooking  purposes.  In  some  cases  con- 
siderable would  be  bought  and  put  in  an  empty  well  or 
cistern  and  pumped  in  the  usual  way  when  needed.  This 
water,  really  the  leechings  of  the  various  pond-beds  from 
which  it  came  was  a  poor  makeshift.  But  the  people 
were  glad  to  get  it  and  willingly  paid  the  price.  Just 
what  effect  this  peculiar  water-supply  had  on  the  health 
of  the  people  is  not  easy  to  say.  However,  a  severe  epi- 
demic of  diphtheria  broke  out  and  prevailed  during 
its  continuance,  and  by  some  was  thought  to  be  due  to 
the  "swamp-water"  as  it  was  not  inaptly  named  by 
certain  ones  among  its  users. 

During  this  epidemic  it  was  my  fortune  to  see  and 
treat  a  great  many  cases  of  this  dread  disease,  some 
relatively  mild,  some  severe  and  eight  that  proved  fatal. 
In  the  treatment  of  diphtheria  in  that  day  it  was  the 
custom  to  rely  largely  on  iron,  quinine  and  alcoholic 
stimulants  given  internally  and  chlorate  of  potash  lo- 
cally. For  internal  use  chlorate  of  potash  was  also  dis- 
solved in  tincture  of  iron  to  the  point  of  saturation  and 
to  this  glycerine  or  simple  syrup  was  added  to  make  a 
palatable  solution.  Despite  our  best  efforts,  however, 
about  twenty  young  patients  died  in  and  about  Tolono 
during  the  prevalence  of  the  outbreak.  As  it  was  before 
the  days  of  quarantine  and  efforts  at  disease-prevention, 
no  systematized  attempt  was  made  to  separate  the  sick 
from  the   well.     I   recall   an  Irish   family   to   which   I 


160  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

was  called  and  finding  one  of  the  children  infected  with 
diphtheria  I  suggested  to  the  parents  that  the  child  be 
taken  to  an  upstairs  room  and  that  save  attendants, 
no  one  should  have  access  to  the  sick  room.  But  to  this 
the  father  replied,  "No  doether  we'll  jist  let  'em  all  doi 
tigither. ' '  The  house  was  small,  the  sick  child  occupied 
a  small  downstairs  room  to  which  all  had  access  and 
before  the  end  came  all  of  the  five  children  were  in- 
fected and  of  these  three  died.  All  this  in  about  two 
weeks'  time.  Looking  back  from  the  standpoint  of  today 
I  feel  sure  that  had  my  suggestion  been  accepted  and 
carried  out  the  disease  would  not  have  extended  beyond 
the  first  patient.  As  the  weather  was  warm  the  sick 
child  could  easil}^  have  been  made  comfortable  upstairs, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  remaining  children  could  have 
spent  much  time  out  of  doors,  which  would  have  con- 
duced to  their  escape  from  infection.  But  as  said  before 
it  was  before  the  days  of  quarantine,  and  had  this  been 
attempted  there  were  no  laws  to  secure  its  enforcement. 

In  that  day  the  public,  and  in  no  small  degree  the 
doctors,  had  not  as  yet  been  aroused  to  the  need  of 
disease-prevention.  So  true  was  this  the  case  that  dur- 
ing the  prevalence  of  this  outbreak  public  funerals  were 
held  of  those  dead  of  this  disease.  The  same  was  true 
of  all  other  contagious  diseases.  A  medical  man  who 
would  venture  to  protest  strongly  against  these  public 
funerals  would  have  been  branded  as  heartless  and  ut- 
terly lacking  in  a  proper  consideration  for  the  dead. 

In  most  instances  when  a  case  of  typhoid  fever  oc- 
curred in  a  family  where  there  were  young  people  all 
would  be  apt  to  become  infected  before  the  disease  had 
spent  its  force.  In  no  particular  has  the  present  era 
shown  its  great  advance  on  the  one  just  gone  by  than 
in  the  thoroughly  awakened  public  sentiment  which  de- 
mands the  prevention  of  disease  to  the  greatest  degree 
possible. 

The  Klebs-Loefler  bacillus  and  the  Ebert  bacillus  as 


From  Prairee  to  Village  161 

the  causative  factors  in  diphtheria  and  typhoid  fever 
respectively,  were  as  yet  wholly  unknown,  and  theories 
as  to  the  underlying  cause  of  contagious  ailments  were 
as  numerous  as  were  the  people  who  propounded  them. 
For  a  time  a  popular  theory  for  the  origin  of  typhoid 
was  that  of  Pettinkoffer  which  maintained  that  certain 
strata  entering  into  the  formation  of  the  earth  contained 
the  infecting  material  and  gave  rise  to  typhoid  and  that 
in  the  fall  season  when  water  in  wells,  springs,  streams 
and  other  sources  of  supply  reached  a  low-stage,  the  in- 
fecting nidus  in  certain  earth  strata  came  to  be  dissolved 
in  the  water  and  consequently  susceptible  persons  were 
infected.  The  fact  that  the  late  summer  and  fall,  coinci- 
dent with  a  low  stage  of  water,  is  likewise  the  period 
when  typhoid  is  more  than  usually  prevalent,  gave  some 
measure  of  support  to  Pettinkoffer 's  theory  of  its  origin. 

Another  theory  was  known  as  Murchison's  and  at- 
tributed the  origin  of  typhoid  to  putrescence.  Conse- 
quently according  to  this  putrid  matter  from  whatever 
source  under  favorable  conditions  could  and  did  origin- 
ate eases  of  typhoid.  The  word  pythogenetic  was  coined 
to  express  Murchison's  theory  of  the  origin  of  typhoid. 

Diphtheria  was  believed  to  originate  in  much  the 
same  manner  and  filth  in  any  form,  and  putrid  matter 
from  any  source  whatsoever,  was  thought  under  certain 
unknown  circumstances  to  generate  this  disease  in  all 
its  forms  from  the  mildest  cases  to  the  most  malignant. 
In  this  period  sewer-gas  came  to  be  a  terrible  '*boog-a- 
boo, "  a  most  dangerous  factor  in  the  production  of 
numerous  diseases,  but  frequently  diphtheria  and  typh- 
oid. Likewise  defective  drains,  decaying  vegetables,  put- 
rifjing  meats,  etc.,  were  deemed  fruitful  sources  or 
more  correctly,  direct  generators  of  disease  in  practical- 
ly all  forms  and  varieties. 

About  this  time,  1877,  I  atttended  a  popular  lecture 
by  the  celebrated  preacher  and  orator  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  on  the  "Wastes  and  Burdens  of  Society."    He 


162  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

was  in  the  prime  of  ripe  manhood  and  in  the  full  power 
of  his  wonderful  gifts  and  consequently  was  in  almost 
immediate  touch  with  the  most  up-to-date  knowledge  in 
all  lines.  Among  other  things  he  touched  on  the  ravages 
of  disease  and  in  graphic  language  described  the  grief  of 
a  family  whose  only  child  had  died  from  diphtheria. 
Referred  to  the  reverential  awe  with  which  they  at- 
tributed it  to  the  very  sad  but  no  doubt  just  dispensa- 
tion of  an  all-wise  Providence.  I  never  shall  forget  the 
speaker's  countenance  when  he  said,  ''A  dispensation 
of  Providence !  Why  it  was  nothing  in  the  world  but 
rotten  cabbage  and  turnips  in  the  cellar!" 

During  these  years  I  recall  one  period  when  I  con- 
cluded I  was  about  to  face  an  epidemic  of  fractured 
femurs  as  three  occurred  in  my  practice  in  succession 
one  right  after  another.  Two  of  these  happened  to  young 
girls  just  budding  into  womanhood  and  I  could  not  help 
contrasting  them.  The  first  received  her  fracture  in  a 
runaway  accident  and  when  I  was  called  found  her 
suffering  intensely.  I  dressed  the  limb  with  a  long 
Physick  splint  and  tried  in  every  way  to  make  the  pa- 
tient comfortable,  but  despite  my  exertions  she  was  mis- 
erable from  beginning  to  end  and  her  disposition  had 
nothing  to  do  with  this  for  she  was  naturally  amiable  and 
good  natured.  She  recovered  with  a  shortened  limb  and 
walks  with  a  limp  to  this  day.  Before  my  first  patient  had 
fully  recovered  I  was  called  to  the  second  young  lady 
who  while  milking  an  evilly  disposed  cow  received  a  vio- 
lent kick  from  this  animal  that  broke  one  of  her  femurs. 
I  was  called  and  dressed  the  injured  limb  on  a  long 
Physick  splint  and  left  the  patient  comfortable ;  found 
her  in  that  condition  at  all  my  subsequent  visits  and  she 
made  a  good  recovery,  and  the  last  time  I  saw  her  she 
said  her  broken  femur  was  as  good  as  the  other.  What 
made  the  difference  in  these  eases?  Doubtless  the  exact 
site  and  nature  of  the  two  injuries  as  regards  obliquity 


From  Prairie  to  Village  163 

of  fracture  and  maybe  torn  nerves  and  lacerated  tis- 
sues were  very  different  in  the  two  cases* 

I  recall  a  case  of  ascites  in  a  hardy  Irish  woman 
which  became  purulent  and  which  at  different  times 
discharged  large  amounts  of  pus  and  in  the  end  proved 
fatal.  I  have  since  wondered  if  the  bolder  surgical  meth- 
ods of  today  could  have  saved  her  life.  "Would  the  opera- 
tion of  laying  her  abdomen  wide  open  and  clensing  it 
thoroughly  have  obviated  her  death  ?  It  is  quite  possible 
that  it  would,  but  maybe  not. 

In  this  period  I  had  my  first  case  of  senile  gangrene 
which  occurred  to  an  old  English  woman.  The  case 
lingered  for  weeks  and  weeks,  first  occurred  in  the  toes 
of  one  foot  and  later  involved  the  foot  and  leg  up  to 
the  knee  before  death  occurred.  The  trouble  was  prob- 
ably due  to  embolism  of  the  popliteal  artery,  but  such 
things  were  less  understood  a  generation  ago  than  they 
are  today.  Of  course  the  question  of  operation  came  up. 
Would  a  comparatively  early  amputation  have  saved 
this  patient's  life?  Probably  not,  as  she  was  old  and 
doubtless  had  more  or  less  general  arterio-sclerosis. 

This  year  I  became  a  member  of  the  local  County 
Medical  Society  and  the  year  following,  1875,  joined 
the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  at  a  meeting  held  in 
Jacksonville,  111.  Dr.  J.  H.  Hollister,  then  in  his  prime, 
was  the  presiding  officer  and  at  the  close  of  his  term 
of  office  delivered  a  beautiful  valedictory  address.  The 
next  meeting  of  the  State  Medical  Society  was  held  in 
Champaign,  111.,  in  the  Centennial  year,  1876,  and  as 
I  had  been  chosen  to  officiate  as  local  Secretary,  I  met 
most  of  those  in  attendance.  Among  the  prominent 
Chicago  men  present  I  recall  the  names  of  Drs.  N.  S. 
Davis,  W.  H.  Byford,  Moses  Gunn,  J.  W.  Freer,  E.  L. 
Holmes  and  J.  H.  Hollister,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead. 

*The  reader  must  bear  in  mind  that  these  cases  antedated  the 
discovery  of  the  "Crookes  Tube"  or  X-Ray  by  nearly  twenty  years. 


164  Sixty  Years  ix  the  Medical  Harness 

Indeed,  few  of  those  who  took  a  prominent  part  in  this 
meeting  are  alive. 

This  session  was  notable  for  setting  in  motion  the 
measures  that  led  up  to  the  passage  of  the  first  Medical 
Practice  Act.  enacted  in  Illinois  and  under  which  was 
organized  the  fii'st  State  Board  of  Health.  A  committee 
was  appointed  to  ^nsit  Springfield  during  the  approach- 
ing session  of  the  legislature,  appear  before  that  body 
and  show  the  necessity  for  the  legislation  proposed.  With- 
out going  into  unnecessar\'  details  let  it  suflSce  to  say  that 
this  committee  did  its  work  so  thoroughly  that  the  act 
was  passed,  received  the  Governor's  signature,  became 
a  law  in  1877  and  the  same  year  Governor  CuUom 
appointed  the  members  of  the  State  Board  of  Health 
and  as  soon  as  the  latter  organized  for  business,  we  all 
sent  in  our  diplomas  and  in  due  time  received  certifi- 
cates to  practice  medicine.  Dr.  John  H.  Rauch,  long 
connected  with  the  Chicago  Health  Department  was 
the  leading  spirit  in  the  first  State  Board  of  Health 
and  at  once  set  about  distributing  literature  and  mak- 
ing use  of  all  means  in  his  power  to  institute  sanitary 
precautions  and  put  in  operation  proper  measures  for 
preventing  the  spread  of  contagious  diseases.  The  re- 
sult was  a  new  era  in  practical  sanitation  and  preven- 
tive medicine. 

The  Memorializing  Committee  who  appeared  before 
the  legislature  was  made  up  as  follows:  Dr.  E.  TV. 
Gray.  Bloomington ;  Dr.  Wm.  M.  Chambers,  Charles- 
ton ;  Dr.  S.  H.  Birney,  Urbana ;  Dr.  Wm.  Massie,  Paris ; 
Dr.  F.  B.  HaUer,  Vandalia.  Of  them  it  may  be  said, 
that  while  they  are  all  dead,  their  "work  lives  after 
them." 

I  took  little  or  no  part  in  the  discussion  that  led  up 
to  the  appointment  of  the  committee,  nevertheless  I 
have  always  been  proud  of  the  fact  that  I  was  present 
and  heard  aU  that  was  offered  and  said  in  favor  of  the 


From  Prairie  to  Village  165 

most  important  movement  ever  made  by  the  medical 
profession  in  our  State. 

One  experience  during  this  period  may  interest  the 
reader.  One  raw,  rainy  morning  a  messenger  came  for 
me  saying  that  Dr.  D.,  a  fellow  practitioner,  and  a  very 
large  man  wanted  me  to  come  to  his  assistance  at  once 
in  a  difficult  labor  case  some  five  miles  in  the  country. 
I  got  in  the  saddle  and  in  due  time  met  the  accoucher 
and  a  little  later  was  at  the  bedside  of  the  patient,  who 
proved  to  be  a  fleshy  Irish  woman  who  had  been  in  labor 
some  twelve  hours. 

As  said  before,  the  attending  physician  was  a  very 
large  man  who  must  have  weighed  not  less  than  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  or  three  hundred  pounds.  His 
hand  was  so  large  that  it  looked  like  a  smoked  ham, 
and  hence  was  the  worst  possible  for  obstetric  work.  At 
his  request  I  made  a  digital  examination  and  found 
a  breach  presentation,  which  coincided  with  what  Dr.  D. 
had  told  me  on  my  arrival.  We  succeeded  in  bringing 
down  a  foot,  but  this  was  after  much  effort  for  the  pelvis 
was  almost  abnormally  narrow.  A  little  later  the  other 
foot  was  brought  down  and  traction  made  on  these  ex- 
tremities. Meanwhile  uterine  contraction  was  encouraged 
by  manipulating  the  lower  abdominal  region.  Finally 
we  succeeded  in  delivering  all  but  the  head  but  this 
seemingly  defied  our  best  directed  efforts  at  bring- 
ing the  proper  dimensions  of  the  occiput  to  the  corre- 
sponding dimensions  of  the  canal — at  any  rate  at 
this  stage  labor  was  arrested  for  hours.  Meanwhile, 
we  sent  for  additional  help  and  in  due  time  Dr.  H.  came 
to  our  assistance.  In  that  period  Dr.  H.  was  supposed 
to  be  the  "court  of  highest  resort"  in  difficult  cases, 
medical  advice  and  counsel.  In  due  time  Dr.  H.  began 
trying  to  adjust  the  occiput  so  it  could  be  delivered  and 
next  endeavored  to  apply  the  forceps  (as  we  had  en- 
deavored to  do  before  he  came)  but  unfortunatelv  all 


166  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

without  success.  Finally  Dr.  H.  suggested  that  Dr.  D., 
he  of  the  gigantic  stature  and  heroic  strength  should 
make  traction  on  the  body  of  the  infant  while  he  and  I 
exerted  counter  force  on  the  woman.  And  what  does 
the  reader  suppose  was  the  result?  Dr.  D.  was  all  at 
once  endeavoring  to  steady  himself  from  falling  over 
backwards  while  his  hands  were  grasping  a  headless 
infant !  So  there  we  were.  The  trunk  and  extremities 
delivered  but  the  head  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
upper  strait !  Fortunately  after  no  little  effort  Dr.  H. 
succeeded  in  grasping  the  head  with  the  forceps  and 
bringing  it  in  the  world. 

At  the  termination  of  this  long  protracted  labor  the 
patient  was  made  as  comfortable  as  circumstances  would 
allow  with  the  help  of  the  several  neighbor  women  who 
had  stood  by  us  all  through.  Here  it  may  be  well  to 
observe  that  in  that  day  no  attempt  was  made  at  im- 
mediate repair  of  any  "tears"  or  ruptures  that  may 
have  occurred  during  labor.  Indeed,  the  great  majority 
went  through  life  with  these  injuries,  not  even  so  much 
as  aware,  oftentimes,  that  their  condition  was  any  worse 
than  that  of  those  who  had  gone  through  labor  with 
parts  left  wholly  intact.  "Where  ignorance  is  bliss 
'twere  folly  to  be  wise." 

Just  what  the  Catholic  priest  did  with  himself 
while  we  were  working  with  the  patient  I  do  not  now 
recall,  but  can  but  wonder  as  the  house  was  small  and 
the  out-of-doors  weather  not  inviting.  While  located 
in  Tolono  it  was  my  fortune  to  do  quite  a  good  deal  of 
business  for  Irish  Catholics  and  soon  got  on  to  the  fact 
that  when  one  of  their  number  was  stricken  with  any- 
thing that  threatened  to  be  serious  one  messenger  was 
sent  for  the  physician  and  another  for  the  parish  priest 
who  in  practically  all  serious  cases  administered  extreme 
unction.  My  people  were  all  Protestants  and  in  no 
small  degree  I  grew  up  with  the  impression  that  the 


From  Prajrie  to  Village  167 

average  Catholic  had  "horns  and  hoofs"  metaphor- 
ically speaking,  but  contact  with  these  people  and,  more 
especially,  attending  them  professionally  through  all 
kinds  of  ailments,  being  with  them  in  childbirth  and 
standing  with  others  at  the  bedside  of  the  dying,  all 
conduced  to  make  Protestant  and  Catholic  realize  that 
the  same  blood  courses  through  the  veins  of  each,  the 
same  aches  tortured  the  flesh  of  the  Catholic  that  made 
miserable  the  Protestant,  and  as  a  rule  the  same  balm 
would  ease  and  the  same  salves  soothe  each  and  all 
alike.  All  breathed  the  same  air,  all  trod  the  same  soil, 
all  had  substantially  the  same  environment,  and,  finally, 
all  would  return  to  the  same  Mother  Earth.  Then  why 
dispute  and  "chew  the  rag"  over  really,  minor  differ- 
ences ? 

Here  I  may  say  that  when  I  was  a  medical  student 
the  only  female  attendants  were  Sisters  of  Mercy  and 
these  early  impressed  me  with  their  willingness  to  wait 
upon  the  sick  and  desire  to  alleviate  suffering  in  all  its 
myriad  forms.  In  that  period  the  Protestants  had  no 
corresponding  representatives  in  the  field  of  this  form 
of  altruism. 

Elsewhere  I  spoke  of  the  fact  that  I  visited  my 
country  patients  very  frequently  on  horseback.  While 
located  in  Tolono,  I  one  night  not  long  after  supper 
got  in  the  saddle  and  started  to  see  a  patient  some  miles 
distant.  It  was  in  late  summer,  there  had  been  no  rain 
for  some  time  and  the  roads  were  dry  and  hard.  My 
horse  was  going  along  in  a  canter  when  for  some  reason 
he  stumbled,  fell  down  and  threw  me  with  some  violence 
on  the  hard  ground.  The  main  force  of  the  fall  came 
on  my  left  shoulder  which  soon  became  quite  painful. 
Rising  to  my  feet  I  managed  to  catch  my  horse  and 
once  more  get  in  the  saddle.  Meanwhile  realizing  that 
I  had  received  a  severe  injury  I  turned  my  horse 's  head 
toward  home  and  arriving  there  two  of  my  neighbor 
physicians  were  called  in  and  it  was  soon  discovered 


168  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

that  the  outer  end  of  my  left  clavicle  was  dislocated. 
After  some  efforts  at  readjustment  of  the  parts  a  dress- 
ing was  applied  and  I  was  put  in  bed  and  directed  to 
lie  there  most  of  the  time  for  some  weeks.  But  who 
ever  knew  a  sick  doctor  to  obey  his  medical  attendant? 
I  got  up  next  day  and  did  not  go  to  bed  save  when  the 
regular  bed  time  came.  Finally  I  recovered  with  the 
outer  end  of  my  left  clavicle  detached  from  its  articula- 
tion. Of  course  the  ligaments  may  have  been  so  rup- 
tured and  torn  from  their  attachments  that  no  amount 
of  time  spent  on  my  back  would  have  remedied  matters. 
Dr.  Livingston,  the  great  African  discoverer,  at  the 
end  of  years  and  years  spent  in  "Darkest"  Africa,  fin- 
ally died  in  its  interior  with  no  white  man  any  where 
accessible  when  the  end  came.  He  was  not  immediately 
buried  and  his  remains  were  some  how  kept  from  decay 
by  his  faithful  native  attendants  till  they  came  under 
the  observation  of  European  eyes.  It  was  known  that 
in  a  fight  for  his  life  with  a  lion  Dr.  Livingston  had  sus- 
tained an  injury  of  the  humerus  of  one  of  his  arms 
that  resulted  in  a  permanent  ununited  fracture  and  up- 
on examination  of  the  dead  body  in  the  care  of  the  na- 
tives this  ununited  fracture  was  found  and  thus  identi- 
fication of  the  remains  was  unquestionable  in  character. 
I  have  sometimes  had  the  gruesome  thought  that  should 
some  terrible  calamity  befall  me  and  identification  of 
my  old  carcass  become  necessary  the  unreduced  dislo- 
cation of  the  outer  end  of  my  left  clavicle  might  "be 
called  in  court",  so  to  speak,  to  give  unimpeachable 
testimony. 

Tolono  is  situated  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  south 
of  Chicago  at  the  junction  of  the  Illinois  Central  and 
Wabash  Railways,  both  important  lines.  The  cottage 
in  which  I  lived  was  near  the  Illinois  Central  and  not 
far  distant  from  the  Union  Railway  Station  of  the  two 
roads. 


From  Prairie  to  Village  169 

At  one  period  during  my  stay  in  Tolono  there  came 
to  be  almost  an  "epidemic"  of  railway  accidents  to 
individuals.  Some  writers  have  advanced  the  theory 
that  things  of  this  kind  go  in  cycles,  but  as  to  this  I 
cannot  say.  However,  at  the  period  referred  to  there 
was  certainly  a  cycle  of  personal  railway  injuries  at 
Tolono.  So  frequently  did  these  occur  at  this  time  that 
when  my  doorbell  rang  I  went  to  it  with  the  expectation 
of  finding  a  messenger  summoning  me  to  the  railway 
station  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  some  poor,  mangled 
sufferer.  More  frequently  than  otherwise  these  injuries 
were  of  so  serious  a  character  that  death  resulted. 
Most  of  the  injuries  were  due  to  falling  under  the 
wheels  of  the  moving  trains.  Tolono  was  the  crossing 
of  two  important  lines,  and  facilities  for  making  the 
crossing  relatively  safe  were  much  less  adequate  than 
today,  furthermore,  airbrakes  had  not  yet  come  to  be  in 
use  and  the  work  of  a  brakeman  on  a  freight  train  was 
dangerous  in  the  extreme. 

In  the  event  the  injured  had  to  be  dressed  and  oper- 
ated upon  our  facilities  for  this  were  none  of  the  best 
and  no  hospital  worthy  of  the  name  could  be  reached 
nearer  than  Chicago.  Under  these  circumstances  I 
could  ''but  thank  my  stars"  when  our  "cycle"  of 
accidents  came  to  an  abrupt  ending  and  surgical  peace 
reigned  in  and  about  the  environments  of  our  railway 
station,  for  a  period  at  least. 

During  my  two  years'  service  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment in  the  Civil  War  it  was,  as  noted  elsewhere,  my 
fortune  to  see  men  torn  and  mangled  in  almost  every 
way  by  shot  and  shell,  yet  I  am  compelled  to  say  that 
for  horrible  mangling  many  railway  injuries  out-class 
the  greater  number  of  battle  wounds  and  injuries  that 
came  under  my  eye  in  the  great  struggle  of  the  sixties, 
terrible  as  was  some  of  the  human  wreckage  upon  many 
hardly  contested  fields  in  that  fratricidal  war. 


XV 


A  VETERAN  MEDICAL  SOCIETY  AND  SOME  OF 
ITS  CHARACTERS 

An  old-time  doctor  rises  into  view 
A  well-read  man  he  was  and  much  he  knew 
For  he  was  "college-bred",  and  in  the  eyes 
Of  simple  folks  no  man  could  be  more  ^mse. 

T.  P.  Wilson. 

In  the  midsummer  of  1872  I  had  an  important  sur- 
gical case  and  being  young  and  relatively  inexperienced 
I  called  Dr.  E.  B.  Cannon  of  Tuscola  in  consultation. 
Dr.  Cannon  had  a  large  practice,  gave  much  attention 
to  surgery  and  had  the  courage  to  operate  whenever 
and  wherever  a  door  opened  opportunely.  Dr.  Cannon 
was  an  older  brother  of  the  Honorable  Joseph  6.  Can- 
non, who  by  the  way,  that  very  year  entered  on  his  long 
and  distinguished  career  in  Congress. 

Dr.  Cannon  very  promptly  came  to  my  assistance 
and  when  through  with  the  case  said  to  me  "  By  the  way, 
Dr.  Johnson,  the  Aesculapian  meets  in  Tuscola  this  fall 
and  you  must  come  down  and  join  us." 

"The  Aesculapian,  what  is  that?"  I  enquired. 

"Why,  it's  a  Medical  Society,"  he  answered.  Its 
full  name  is  the  Aesculapian  Society  of  the  Wabash 
Valley  and  it  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest 
medical  organization  in  the  state.  It  is  a  District  Soc- 
iety and  its  membership  is  made  up  of  physicians,  from 
counties  as  far  north  as  Vermillion,  as  far  south  as  Law- 
rence, and  as  far  west  as  Moultrie,  and  likewise  by  medi- 
cal men  who  reside  in  contiguous  counties  in  Indiana." 

I  kept  the  date  of  the  meeting  in  mind  and  when 
it  came  round  went  to  Tuscola,  enquired  for  the  place 

170 


The  Aesculapian  Society  171 

of  meeting  and  went  there  and  found  a  few  doctors 
assembled  in  a  small  hall.  It  was  about  2  p.  m.  and  the 
afternoon  session  had  opened.  An  essayist,  who  I  soon 
learned  was  Dr.  Wm  M.  Chambers  of  Charleston,  Illi- 
nois, was  reading  a  paper  on  malarial  fever,  which  had 
been  especially  prevalent  that  year.  Dr.  Chambers' 
paper  was  well  written  and  he  read  it  so  that  he  was  eas- 
ily understood,  but  at  the  end  of  nearly  every  sentence 
he  would  pause  for  a  brief  moment  and  cast  his  eyes 
up  towards  the  ceiling.  His  paper  finished,  before  he  sat 
down,  he  apologized  for  any  and  all  shortcomings  his 
report  might  have,  by  saying  it  had  been  written  amidst 
the  confusion  necessarily  arising  during  constant  inter- 
ruptions by  patients. 

Dr.  William  Massie  of  Grandview,  Illinois,  occupied 
the  chair  with  benign  dignity  and  decorum. 

If  I  remember  correctly.  Dr.  A.  J.  Miller  of  Paris, 
Illinois,  followed  Dr.  Chambers  with  a  paper,  but  upon 
what  topic  I  do  not  now  recall.  Later  I  came  to  realize 
that  these  three  men  were  of  sterling  worth  and  were 
important  pillars  in  the  make-up  of  the  Aesculapian. 
Moreover,  as  time  went  on,  I  came  to  revere  them  and 
was  glad  to  sit  at  their  feet,  in  a  metaphorical  sense,  and 
regard  them  as  masters.  When  I  saw  them  for  the  first 
time  that  afternoon  in  November,  1872,  they  were  all  in 
mature  life,  growing  a  little  gray  and  all  not  far  from 
the  half-century  line.  Upon  further  acquaintance  I 
found  Dr.  Chambers  to  be  a  suave,  courteous  gentleman, 
a  native  of  Kentucky  and  very  fond  of  good  Kentucky 
whiskey.  However,  he  was  always  so  nice  about  the  use 
of  his  favorite  beverage  that  his  most  devoted  temper- 
ance friends  could  take  no  exception  to  his  indulgence. 

Dr.  William  Massie  was  of  a  far  different  type.  He 
was  a  large  rawboned  man,  very  plain  in  dress  and  in- 
clined to  be  brusk  in  manner.  However,  he  was  always 
so  intelligent  and  was  such  a  brainy  man  with  a  faculty 


172  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

of  impressing  his  personality  on  all  that  you  soon  for- 
got his  plain  dress  and  brusk  manner. 

Dr.  A.  J.  Miller  was  a  small  man  with  clear-cut 
features,  that  impressed  those  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact  that  he  was  just  what  he  was — an  honest,  de- 
pendable man. 

I  think  there  were  less  than  a  dozen  physicians  in 
attendance  that  afternoon,  but  as  it  was  the  first  session 
of  a  medical  society  that  I  ever  had  the  privilege  of 
attending,  I,  very  naturally  paid  close  attention  to  all 
the  proceedings  and  studied  faces  closely. 

Next  to  Drs.  Chambers,  Massie  and  Miller,  my  atten- 
tion was  most  drawn  to  Dr.  G.  T.  Ragan,  the  Secretary, 
in  the  prime  of  manhood,  rather  below  the  average  in 
size,  but  closely  built  with  dark  hair  and  eyes  and  hand- 
some features. 

Some  one  proposed  my  name  for  membership  and 
in  due  course  I  was  elected,  signed  my  name  in  the  reg- 
ister, and  paid  the  initiation  fee  of  two  dollars.  I  was 
young,  timid  and  never  dreamed  that  later  I  was 
destined  to  succeed  Dr.  Ragan  in  the  Secretary- 
Treasuryship  of  the  Aesculapian  and  sit  by  and  receive 
the  sheckles  while  sundry  new  members  signed  in  due 
form  and  paid  their  fees. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  public  meeting  at  which 
Dr.  Massie  delivered  his  valedictory  address  on  some 
metaphysical  subject  that  overshot  most  of  his  hearers, 
professional  and  lay  alike. 

The  next  morning's  session  was  well  attended,  sev- 
eral papers  were  read  and  delegates  appointed  to  both 
the  State  Society  and  National  Association  as  was  then 
the  custom.  At  the  hotel  where  I  stopped  I  met  Con- 
gressman-elect Joseph  G.  Cannon,  who  was  about  to  start 
to  Washington,  and  for  the  first  time  take  his  seat  in 
Congress.  In  that  day  no  one  so  much  as  dreamed  of 
the  unequalled   long   period   young   Congressman-elect 


The  Aesculapian  Society  173 

Cannon  was  destined  to  serve  nor  of  the  unique  and  en- 
viable career  that  he  had  before  him. 

The  last  day  of  the  meeting  of  the  Aesculapian  was 
Thursday  and  Thanksgiving  day.  Dr.  Cannon  invited 
those  of  us  who  lived  elsewhere  and  could  do  so,  to 
attend  a  Thanksgiving  dinner  at  his  home.  We  were  in- 
troduced to  Mrs.  Cannon  whom  we  found  to  be  a  noble 
woman  and  a  good  home-maker,  as  was  evidenced  by 
what  we  saw  and  by  the  most  appetizing  turkey-dinner 
she  had  prepared  for  us. 

We  all  sat  down  to  a  long  table  and  there  was  so 
much  in  front  of  us  that  Dr.  Cannon  had  to  have  the 
turkey,  a  very  large  one,  placed  on  a  side-table  where 
he  carved  it  properly  and  helped  our  plates  bountifully. 
While  this  was  going  on,  an  incident  occurred  which  I 
will  narrate  to  show  what  things  people  tolerated  in 
those  days.  One  of  the  physicians  seated  at  the  table, 
a  man  near  my  own  age,  and  who,  as  I  learned  later, 
prided  himself  on  his  breeding,  coughed,  turned  about 
in  his  chair  and  expertorated  a  mouthful  of  mucus  on 
the  carpet ! 

As  said  above  I  do  not  know  the  exact  number  pres- 
ent at  that  Thanksgiving  dinner  fifty-three  years  ago, 
but  I  think  it  was  about  twelve.  So  far  as  I  can  learn 
I  am  the  only  one  living  who  sat  down  to  that  table.  Dr. 
Ragan,  who  passed  away  a  few  years  ago,  was  the  last 
one  to  go.  By  the  way,  Dr.  Ragan  was  especially  kind 
to  me  during  this  meeting  and  this  I  greatly  appreciated, 
as  I  was  young,  backward,  and  a  stranger ;  moreover,  till 
the  day  of  his  death,  he  remained  one  of  my  staunchest 
friends. 

In  May  following  I  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Aes- 
culapian at  Charleston,  and  for  the  first  time  visited  that 
interesting  place.  Dr.  Chambers,  Dr.  Massie  and  Dr. 
Miller  were  all  present,  and  of  course  my  friend  Dr. 
Ragan,    the    most    efficient    Secretary-Treasurer.      The 


174  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Aesculapian  Society  of  the  Wabash  Valley  was  organized 
in  1846,  before  the  day  of  railways  and  consequently, 
to  attend  its  earlier  sessions  some  of  the  members  had 
to  drive,  twenty,  thirty,  forty,  nay,  fifty  miles  to  reach 
the  meetings,  two  of  which  were  held  every  year  and  the 
sessions  always  continued  through  two  days.  Thus  it 
will  be  seen  that  attendance  upon  these  necessitated  the 
absence  from  their  business  of  nearly  a  week  on  the  part 
of  certain  members  who  lived  farthest  away.  However, 
the  brave  men  of  those  pioneer  days  shouldered  their 
burdens,  made  their  tedious  journeys  and  kept  the 
Aesculapian  on  its  feet. 

As  I  learned  more  of  the  Aesculapian  I  discovered 
that  Drs.  Miller,  Chambers  and  Massie  were  the  second 
generation  of  members  and  that  the  founders  of  the  or- 
ganization were  all  dead  or  removed  to  distant  localities. 

One  doctor  that  I  met  at  both  of  these  meetings  de- 
serves notice.  This  was  Dr.  J.  M.  Steele  of  Grandview, 
Illinois,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  had  come  to  the 
"Prairie  State,"  as  Illinois  was  then  called,  acquired  a 
large  body  of  land  and  had  grown  wealthy. 

A  number  of  years  before  Dr.  Steele  had  retired  from 
practice,  but  he  liked  to  attend  medical  socieities  and 
throw  his  influence  for  the  preservation  of  ethical  medi- 
cine. The  embodiment  of  hard,  practical  sense  and  in- 
dependent as  General  Jackson;  said  what  he  thought, 
when  and  where  he  pleased;  and  as  he  always  thought 
rightly,  no  one  was  the  worse,  but  on  the  contrary  bene- 
fited. Although  in  that  day  every  one  wore  beards. 
Dr.  Steele,  who  was  at  that  time  about  sixty-five,  al- 
ways appeared  clean-shaven.  He  was  so  weU  and  fav- 
orably known  that  he  was  at  one  time  called  upon  to 
serve  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  as  its  President. 

I  missed  the  next  two  meetings  of  the  Aesculapian, 
and  in  the  early  fall  of  1874,  this  fact  brought  a  letter 
from  Dr.  Ragan,  the  Secretary,  asking  why  I  had  not 


The  Aescul.vpian  Society  175 

been  at  the  sessions  of  the  society  and  urging  my  at- 
tendance at  the  forthcoming  meeting.  I  replied  and 
among  other  things  stated  that  I  had  just  passed  through 
a  severe  epidemic  of  diphtheria.  As  quick  as  return  mail 
could  bring  it,  came  a  letter  from  him  urging  me  to 
write  up  the  epidemic  and  read  the  paper  at  the  meet- 
ing in  November.  I  wrote  back  that  I  had  never  written 
a  paper  and  that  if  I  had  one  written  I  would  be  too 
timid  to  read  it.  In  reply  Dr.  Ragan  wrote  a  more  ur- 
gent letter  than  ever,  and  said  that  if  necessary,  he 
would  read  the  paper  if  I  would  write  it. 

This  last  letter  was  the  feather  that  "broke  the 
camel 's  back ' '  and  as  a  result,  I  fell  a  victim  to  Dr.  Rag- 
an's  generous  interest  and  kindly  offer  and  soon  went 
about  doing  what  I  could  in  the  way  of  writing  up  the 
diphtheria  epidemic. 

Up  to  that  time  I  had  never  so  much  as  written  an 
essay  and  my  whole  experience  with  my  pen  was  con- 
fined to  such  letters  as  it  had  from  time  to  time  been 
necessary  to  write.  However,  I  got  busy,  as  the  phrase 
goes,  and  scribbled  a  good  deal — as  much,  in  fact,  as  I 
could  recall  of  my  experience  in  the  then  very  recent 
epidemic.  Finally  I  went  through  my  scribblings  and 
endeavored  to  differentiate  the  essential  from  the  unim- 
portant and  after  writing  and  re-writing  it  all  several 
times  till  I  was  measurably  satisfied  with  the  result, 
copied  it  in  as  fair  and  plain  a  hand  as  I  could  write  and 
forwarded  it  to  Dr.  Ragan,  who  lived  at  Neoga,  Illinois. 

At  this  time  I  lived  at  Tolono,  Illinois,  and  as  the 
diphtheria  had  found  its  victims  in  that  village  and  in 
the  surrounding  country,  I  took  the  liberty  of  calling  the 
outbreak,  "The  Tolono  Epidemic  of  Diphtheria."  The 
date  for  the  meeting  came,  a  beautiful  day  in  late  Nov- 
ember, and  as  passenger  service  was  then  not  nearly 
as  good  as  today,  I  entered  a  caboose  attached  to  the 
rear  of  a  freight  train  on  the  Illinois  Central,  bright 


176  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

and  early,  and  started  for  Neoga,  fifty  miles  south 
where  the  meeting  was  to  be.  In  the  caboose  I  was  sur- 
prised and  gratified  to  find  Dr.  J.  T.  Pearman  of  Cham- 
paign City,  who,  like  myself,  was  headed  for  the  Ae&- 
culapian  at  Neoga.  Fortunately  our  train  was  a 
' '  through  freight ' '  and  made  almost  as  good  time  as  the 
average  "accomodation"  passenger  trains  of  that  day. 

In  due  time  we  reached  Neoga  and  found  Dr.  Ragan 
at  the  train  waiting  for  us.  He  invited  us  to  his  house 
for  dinner.  After  a  short  morning  session  Dr.  Pear- 
man  and  I  went  with  Dr.  Ragan  and  at  his  home  I  for 
the  first  time  met  his  wife,  a  bright,  interesting  woman. 
Later  I  learned  that  she  was  originally  a  Miss  Osborne, 
and  a  sister  to  the  Mr.  Osborne  who  married  the  lady, 
whom  he  later  divorced  and  who  then  became  the  wife 
of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

After  a  good  dinner  we  went  to  the  place  of  meet- 
ing and  among  others  that  I  met  were  the  "three  pil- 
lars", Drs.  Chambers,  Massie,  and  Miller.  These  men 
were  true  medical  stalwarts  and  by  precept  and  exam- 
ple, exercised  a  good  influence  upon  all  the  younger 
members  of  the  society.  The  afternoon  session  was  well 
attended  and  an  especially  good  one  it  proved  to  be. 

At  the  evening  session,  Dr.  Ragan  read  my  paper 
entitled,  '"An  Epidemic  of  Diphtheria  at  Tolono"  and 
it  was  listened  to  attentively  and  later  discussed  freely. 
It  received  no  little  praise  and  when  Dr.  Chambers  said, 
"This  report  is  not  only  interesting  and  instructive  but 
its  diction  is  fine",  my  cup  was  full  and  I  felt  that  I 
had  been  rewarded  a  hundred  fold  for  any  and  all  pains 
I  had  exercised  in  the  preparation  of  this,  my  maiden 
effort,  at  medical  essay  writing. 

Very  much  to  my  surprise  when  the  election  of  offi- 
cers came  at  this  meeting  my  name  was  proposed  for 
Vice-President  and  I  was  elected,  and,  as  matters  turn- 
ed out,  this  meant  much  more  to  me  than  I  at  the  time 


The  Aesculapian  Society  177 

realized.  Later  Dr.  Ragan  did  my  paper  the  honor 
to  send  it  to  the  American  Practitioner  of  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  for  publication,  and  it  appeared  in  that  jour- 
nal for  May,  1875. 

Dr.  J.  M.  Hinkle  of  Mattoon,  Illinois,  was  elected 
President,  but  before  the  next  meeting  he  disposed  of 
his  practice  at  Mattoon  and  removed  to  San  Diego, 
California,  where  he  was  to  have  charge  of  a  branch  of 
"The  Indianapolis  Surgical  Institute",  a  first  water 
quack  concern.  As  Dr.  Hinkle 's  name  was  promptly 
dropped  from  the  rolls  of  the  Aesculapian,  I,  as  Vice- 
President,  became  Acting  President  of  the  society. 

The  meeting  for  May,  1875,  was  held  in  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana,  and  this  took  me  to  that  city  for  the  first  time. 
The  profession  of  Terre  Haute  gave  us  a  royal  recep- 
tion. A  large  opera  house  was  provided  for  sessions, 
and  the  whole  faculty  of  one  of  the  Indianapolis  Medi- 
cal Schools  were  invited  to  meet  with  us  and  partici- 
pate in  our  proceedings. 

The  professors  all  came  and  gave  every  evidence  of 
being  able  men  and  thoroughly  competent  to  fill  their 
several  chairs.  Further  than  this,  there  was  a  large  at- 
tendance of  members,  and,  as  might  be  expected,  the 
medical  men  of  Terre  Haute  were  present  at  most  of  our 
sessions.  Taking  it  all  in  all,  I  think  I  am  safe  in  say- 
ing that  this  was  one  of  the  largest  meetings  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Aesculapian.  But  large  as  was  the  meeting, 
and  dignified  and  imposing  as  were  some  of  the  medical 
magnates  from  Indianapolis,  it  was  my  duty  to  preside ; 
to  say  that  I  approached  this  with  literal  fear  and  trem- 
bling, only  partially  expresses  the  full  truth.  Fortunately 
in  the  Secretar^^,  Dr.  Ragan,  I  had  ideal  support  and 
assistance.  I  was  in  my  thirty-third  year  and  a  very 
young  looking  man  for  my  age,  and  in  front  of  me, 
while  in  the  chair,  were  many  grave  white-haired  men 
of  over  twice  my  age,  and  with  ten  times  my  knowledge 


178  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

and  experience  of  the  world  and  the  men  who  dwelt  in 
it.  Nevertheless  with  Dr.  Ragan's  help  and  loyal  sup- 
port I  managed  to  blunder  through  some  way.  Doubt- 
less the  "way"  was  not  always  well  chosen  and  at  times 
was  not  parliamentary,  but,  proper  or  improper,  it  was 
kindly  accepted  and  tolerated  by  my  colleagues  whom 
fate  had  decreed  that  I  preside  over  for  a  few  hours. 

One  of  those  in  front  of  me  was  Dr.  Ezra  Reed, 
a  sort  of  medical  autocrat,  from  Terre  Haute.  Dr. 
Reed  had  a  personality  that  would  attract  attention 
anywhere.  He  was  fully  six  feet  in  height,  large  in 
proportion  and  had  a  head  as  big  as  a  half-bushel.  Then 
he  had  a  way  of  speaking  that  would  seem  to  affirm  that 
his  was  the  last  word  that  could  be  uttered  on  any  given 
subject. 

Another  character  among  the  Terre  Haute  profession 
was  Dr.  John  E,  Link,  who  was  at  one  time  Professor 
of  Anatomy  in  one  of  the  Indianapolis  Medical  Schools. 
Dr.  Link  had  no  little  skill  as  a  surgeon  and  at  this 
meeting  read  a  paper  advocating  whiskey  as  an  anesthe- 
tic in  place  of  chloroform  and  ether.  Of  course,  to  be 
effective  profound  drunkenness  would  have  to  be  pro- 
duced. Nevertheless,  Dr.  Link  narrated  a  number  of 
operations  in  which  he  had  produced  the  needed  insensi- 
bility by  exhibiting  whiskey  freely  and  on  the  other 
hand  he  gave  several  instances  in  which  chloroform  had 
produced  fatal  narcosis. 

When  the  next  morning's  papers  came  out  what  was 
our  surprise  to  find  in  one  of  them  a  full  copy  of  Dr. 
Link's  paper  with  big  head-lines  at  the  top  of  the  col- 
umn. Some  thought  this  was  with  Dr.  Link's  conni- 
vance. 

Among  others  present  at  this  meeting  was  Professor 
Theophilus  Parvin,  then,  I  believe,  connected  with  one 
of  the  Indiana  schools.  Dr.  Parvin,  one  of  the  hand- 
somest men  I  ever  saw,  was  brilliant,  ready  on  his  feet 


The  Aesculapian  Society  179 

and  a  gifted  writer.  His  specialty  was  Obstetrics  and 
Diseases  of  Women.  But  with  all  his  gifts  and  accom- 
plishments he  seemed  to  be  a  kind  of  peripatetic  and 
during  a  not  very  long  professional  life,  gravitated  be- 
tween Cincinnati,  Indianapolis,  Louisville  and  finally 
ended  up  in  Philadelphia,  if  I  remember  rightly.  But 
wherever,  or  whenever  he  appeared,  his  taking  per- 
sonality won  friends  for  him. 

As  this  session  neared  its  close  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  draw  up  suitable  resolutions  expressing  our 
appreciation  of  the  manner  in  which  the  profession  of 
Terre  Haute  had  treated  us.  Dr.  John  Morgan  McKown 
as  chairman  wrote  and  presented  the  following : 

"Whereas,  the  semi-annual  peregrinations  of  The 
Aesculapian  Society  of  the  Wabash  Valley  have  brought 
us,  most  fortunately,  to  this  beautiful  queen  of  the 
Wabash  Valley,  the  ^dgorous  city  of  Terre  Haute,  and, 
Whereas,  on  the  principal  of  fair  dealing  and  good 
neighborhood  one  kind  act  deserves  to  bring  forth  its 
own  harvest  of  kindred  fruit,  remembering  always  that 
he  who  eateth  should  give  thanks,  and  impressed  pro- 
foundly with  the  courtesy  and  kindness  which  have 
taken  from  us  the  sense  of  being  strangers  in  a  strange 
land,  Therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  that  the  unanimous  thanks  of  the  society  be 
and  are  hereby  tendered  to  the  medical  society  and  pro- 
fession of  Terre  Haute  for  the  courtesy  and  kindness 
which  have  made  our  stay  here  so  delightful;  and  that 
in  the  extension  of  thanks  we  desire  to  remember  par- 
ticularly the  committee  of  arrangements,  who  have  con- 
tributed so  much  by  their  efforts  to  our  comfort ; 

Resolved,  that  we  tender  to  the  Press  of  Terre  Haute 
our  thanks  for  the  gratuitous  advertising  which  in  the 
publication  of  the  proceedings  of  our  society  they  have 
given  the  medical  profession,  and  that  we  feel  very  grate- 
ful   for    the   exceptionally    few    ridiculous    utterances, 


180  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

scientifically  regarded,  which  they  have  put  into  our 
mouths,  the  secular  press  being  notoriously  inaccurate 
in  reporting  scientific  discussions; 

Resolved,  that  we  tender  to  the  citizens  of  Terre 
Haute,  whose  latch-strings  have  been  out  and  whose 
doors  have  opened  to  us,  our  thanks  for  the  courtesy 
and  hospitality  which  make  us  long  to  come  again,  and 
to  her  fair  daughters  who  give  tonight  with  their  charms 
these  banquet  halls,  the  assurance  that  the  memory  of 
their  kindly  courtesy  and  gracious  presence,  like  the 
aroma  of  some  beautiful  flower,  shall  linger  in  our  hearts 
and  be  enshrined  there  along  with  the  affection  which 
we  bear  our  mothers,  our  wives,  and  our  sweethearts 
who  await  us  at  home,  and  the  assurance  to  all  the 
ladies,  the  citizens  and  our  professional  brethren,  that 
amid  the  rugged  duties  to  which  our  profession  shall 
call  us,  in  the  discomfort  and  fatigue,  and  anxiety  of 
our  professional  life,  we  shall  look  back  to  our  stay 
here  as  the  foot-sore  and  weary  traveler  does  to  the 
bubbling  spring  by  whose  side  he  has  rested  and  refresh- 
ed himself!" 

The  fall  meeting  of  the  Aesculapian  for  the  year 
1875  was  held  at  Paris,  Illinois,  when  it  again  was  my 
duty  to  preside  and  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  deliver 
a  valedictory  address.  For  this  purpose  I  prepared 
something  that  I  trusted  would  not  be  wholly  inapprop- 
riate and  when  the  time  came,  with  trembling  voice  and 
quaking  knees  delivered  it.  Notwithstanding  my  trep- 
idation in  delivery  what  I  had  to  say  was  well  received 
and  very  naturally  I  was  gratified. 

In  November,  1876,  the  Aesculapian  met  at  Tolono, 
my  home.  The  weather  was  cold  and  gloomy  and  the 
meeting  was  not  well  attended.  However,  I  recall  that 
Dr.  Chambers,  one  of  the  stalwarts,  was  there  and  that 
I  entertained  him.  One  of  the  first  things  that  occurred 
after  he  crossed  my  threshold  was  to  open  his  valise, 


The  Aesculapian  Society  181 

take  out  a  bottle  and  ask  for  a  glass  and  some  water. 
When  this  was  given  him,  he  poured  out  about  a  half  a 
glass  of  whiskey,  drank  it  "raw"  and  then  followed  it 
with  a  "swallow"  of  water. 

This  was  a  new  experience  in  my  home,  but  Dr. 
Chambers  was  such  a  courteous  gentleman  and  so  agree- 
able in  every  way,  that  my  folks  passed  the  drinking 
incidently  and  as  we  say  today,  "forgot  it." 

At  the  election  which  occurred  at  this  meeting  Dr. 
Ragan  was  made  President  and  I  was  given  the  Secre- 
tary-Treasurership  of  the  Society.  I  felt  a  little  loath 
to  take  the  position,  but  was  afterwards  glad  that  I 
did  it,  as  it  gave  me  a  kind  of  experience  that  I  needed. 
I  remained  in  the  Secretary-Treasurer's  place  ten  years. 

The  time  and  service  I  gave  the  Aesculapian  as  its 
Secretary  I  have  never  regretted.  Indeed,  I  can  but 
regard  it  as  an  important  contribution  to  my  medical 
and  literary  education.  It  brought  me  closely  in  con- 
tact with  capable  and  successful  practitioners  and  creat- 
ed within  me  higher  professional  ideals  than  I  might 
have  fallen  heir  to  had  lower  standards  been  set  before 
my  eyes  than  those  afforded  by  the  Aesculapian. 

During  my  incumbency  of  the  position  of  Secretary- 
Treasurer  of  the  Aesculapian,  Dr.  William  Massie  was 
stricken  with  pulmonary  tuberculosis  and  he  was  thereby 
prevented  from  attending  the  meetings  during  several 
sessions.  Finally,  however,  at  a  meeting  in  Paris  he 
came  to  the  place  of  meeting,  took  each  one  by  the  hand, 
bade  us  all  goodby,  broke  down  with  grief,  tears  trick- 
ling down  his  cheeks  and  few  dry-eyed  men  witnessed 
his  grief,  turned  about  and  left  us.  He  was  pale,  ema- 
ciated, had  a  harrassing  cough,  and  we  all  felt,  asi  he 
did,  that  the  end  was  not  far  off.  Most  of  us  never  saw 
him  again. 

As  time  went  by  Dr.  W.  M.  Chambers  began  to  show 
the  grip  of  age.     He  was  stooped  over,  till  he  seemed 


182  Sixty  Years  est  the  Medical  Harness 

almost  doubled  upon  himself.    Later  he,  too,  passed  on 
to  the  Great  Beyond. 

Meanwhile,  Dr.  Miller,  the  third  of  our  stalwart 
triumvirate,  grew  older  and  older,  and  finally  joined 
his  colleagues,  Massie  and  Chambers  on  the  Other  Shore. 


XVI 

I  LOCATE  IN  CHAMPAIGN  CITY 

Of  all  the  ills  that  suffering  man  endures 
The    largest    fraction    liberal    nature    cures; 
Of  those  remaining  'tis  the  smallest  part 
Yields  to  the  efforts  of  judicious  art. 

Holmes. 

Fthe  spring  of  1879  I  removed  from  Tolono  to  Cham- 
paign City,  only  ten  miles  away  and  in  the  same 
County  of  Champaign.  This  move  was  made  to  secure 
a  larger  field  for  professional  work  and  better  educa- 
tional opportunities  for  my  family  which  were  available 
at  the  University  of  Illinois,  very  near  which  I  would 
have  my  home. 

During  my  first  three  years  in  Champaign  City  I  was 
a  partner  of  Dr.  J.  T.  Pearman,  some  fifteen  years  my 
senior  and  a  genial,  pleasant  gentleman  and  a  native  of 
Kentuck3\  Our  relations  were  pleasant  during  the 
period  of  our  partnership  and  remained  so  until  his 
death  nearly  seventeen  years  later.  He  was  the  local  sur- 
geon of  one  of  the  railroads  that  ran  through  Champaign 
and  I  often  assisted  him  in  the  ' '  rough  and  tumble ' '  sur- 
gery much  more  incident  to  railway  work  in  that  day 
than  this.  As  we  had  no  hospital  in  that  period  these 
patients  were  taken  to  a  room,  usually  in  the  hotel  adja- 
cent to  the  railwa5^  and  if  an  operation  was  to  be  per- 
formed, a  table  was  brought  in,  sheets  and  blankets 
spread  upon  it,  the  patient  placed  upon  these,  chloro- 
form administered  and  the  knife  and  other  instruments 
used  with  no  anti-septic  precautions  other  than  ordinary 
cleanliness.  Hot  water  and  soap  were  of  course  always 
available,  but,  at  best,  these  were  used  only  in  a  very 
perfunctory  manner.     True,  over  in  Edinburgh,  Scot- 

183 


184  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

land,  Joseph  Lister  was  at  that  time  striving  to  material- 
ize his  dream  of  clean  surgery.  But  while  in  this  his  suc- 
cess was  encouraging,  yet  it  was  not  of  so  pronounced 
a  character  as  to  command  the  attention  of  medical  men 
generally. 

In  the  early  eighties  the  time  of  my  professional  part- 
nership expired  and  I  began  practicing  on  "my  own 
hook,"  as  it  were.  I  felt  some  hesitancy  in  doing  this 
as  my  three  years'  association  with  an  old  and  estab- 
lished physician  had  made  me  a  little  timid  and  had  not 
been  conducive  to  a  spirit  of  independence,  and  self- 
reliance.  However,  this  did  not  last  long  and  after 
awhile  I  "got  my  nerve,'  as  the  slang  has  it,  and  went 
about  my  business  with  a  due  amount  of  confidence. 

Not  long  after  I  began  to  "hoe  my  own  row"  (1884) 
I  ran  up  against  an  endemic  of  typhoid  fever,  unusual  in 
character.  A  young  man  went  west  with  the  hope  of 
bettering  his  fortune,  located  in  Kansas  and  was  en- 
gaged in  opening  up  a  new  farm  when  he  was  stricken 
with  a  severe  attack  of  sickness  and  thinking  home  and 
his  mother's  care  were  desirable,  took  the  train  and  came 
back  to  the  old  farm-house.  Soon  after  his  return  I  was 
sent  for  and  learned  that  several  days  previously  he  had 
been  attacked  with  a  hard  chill  followed  by  high  fever 
and  later  feeling  able  to  travel,  took  the  train  and  two 
days  subsequently  reached  home  and  took  to  his  bed. 
His  symptoms  pointed  to  malaria,  moreover,  his  sur- 
roundings in  the  new  country,  when  first  attacked  and 
also  the  season  of  the  year,  were  precisely  those  condu- 
cive to  an  attack  of  malarial  fever  and  this  upon  my 
first  visit  I  thought  the  case  to  be.  I  prescribed  for  my 
patient  and  left  with  directions  to  be  called  if  my  ser- 
vices were  further  needed.  Two  days  later  I  was  hur- 
riedly sent  for  with  the  information  that  the  patient,  by 
mistake,  had  been  given  carbolic  acid.  When  I  reached 
the  bedside  of  the  sick  man  I  found  that  while  his  lips 
and  tongue  had  been  burned  by  the  drug,  he  was  clear 


In  Champaign  City  185 

of  any  serious  symptoms  this  might  have  produced,  and 
prescribing  some  palliatives  I  took  my  leave.  His  mother 
previous  to  my  arrival  had  administered  sweet  milk  and 
this  no  doubt  had  an  ameliorating  effect,  as  it  in  no  small 
degree  relieved  the  burning  and  other  disagreeable  re- 
sults of  the  carbolic  acid. 

Two  days  later  I  was  called  and  now  realized  that  my 
patient  had  typhoid  fever.  The  history  and  symptoms 
at  my  first  visit  pointed  to  malaria;  and  at  my  second 
visit  the  swallowing  of  the  carbolic  acid  had  put  all  else 
in  the  background.  In  that  day  we  made  our  diagnoses 
by  clinical  s>Tnptoms  alone, — the  Widal  test  for  typhoid 
came  a  number  of  years  later. 

When  the  young  man  came  from  the  west  a  steam- 
thresher  was  running  at  the  farm-house  and  the  machine 
was  attended  by  twenty-nine  young  men  and  boys,  five 
of  whom  were  the  patient's  brothers  and  the  remainder 
neighbors  and  friends. 

In  the  following  two  or  three  weeks  sixteen  of  this 
party  of  threshers  were  stricken  with  typhoid  fever ;  two 
others  had  symptoms  that  indicated  an  attack  in  mild 
form,  and  four  more  were  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  in- 
disposed, presumably  from  mild  infection.  I  say  "pre- 
sumably" advisedly  for  as  intimated  above,  we,  in  those 
days,  were  compelled  to  make  our  diagnoses,  in  no  small 
measure,  in  the  dark,  so  to  speak. 

Of  the  sixteen  well-marked  cases,  eleven  were  under 
my  care,  eight  of  whom  made  good  recoveries  and  three 
died.  The  remaining  six  patients  were  treated  by  other 
physicians  with  a  result  of  three  recoveries  and  three 
fatalities. 

After  all  was  over  I  wrote  a  full  report  of  this  out- 
break and  sent  it  to  the  Louisville  Practitioner  and 
News  in  which  it  a  little  later  appeared  and  I  shall  take 
the  liberty  of  quoting  from  this  with  a  view  to  throwing 
some  light  on  medicine  as  it  was  understood  and  prac- 
ticed in  the  eighties. 


186  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

After  giving  the  history  of  the  endemic  and  certain 
facts  pertaining  thereto  the  report  said  : 

"Here  it  may  be  well  to  state  some  facts  regarding 
typhoid  fever  upon  which  recent  authorities  are  pretty 
well  agreed : 

"1.  Typhoid  fever  is  never  communicated  from  per- 
son to  person. 

"2.  The  disease  never  comes  up  spontaneously;  no 
amount  of  filth,  and  no  degree  of  decomposition  can 
originate  the  disease. 

"3.  Typhoid  fever  is  a  miasmatic,  or  infectious, 
disease,  the  poison  from  within  the  body  of  a  person 
suffering  with  typhoid  must  pass  through,  in  process  of 
development,  a  nidus  outside  the  body  before  it  becomes 
capable  of  propagating  the  disease  (Ziemsen). 

"4.  The  discharges  from  the  bowels  of  a  patient 
affected  with  typhoid  in  a  few  hours  after  they  are  void- 
ed, pass  through  some  process  by  which  they  become  in- 
fectious, and  when  allowed  to  enter  wells  or  cisterns, 
cause  those  who  drink  the  water  to  have  the  disease. 

"5.  The  susceptibility  to  typhoid  depends  largely 
upon  the  age  of  the  person  exposed,  those  under  thirty 
being  very  liable  to  contract  it. 

"At  the  period  when  the  young  man  arrived  from 
the  west  (the  first  case)  a  prolonged  drought  had  pre- 
vailed with  extremely  hot  weather.  The  water  in  all  the 
wells  was  at  a  very  low  stage,  but  at  the  farm-house 
where  the  initial  case  occurred  there  were  two  wells 
whose  supply  of  water  seemed  practically  inexhaustible. 
One  of  these  wells  was  in  the  door-yard  about  fifty  feet 
from  the  house ;  the  other  about  two  hundred  feet  from 
the  dwelling  in  the  barn-yard.  The  bam-lot  was  sep- 
arated from  the  dooryard  by  a  fence  some  thirty  feet 
from  the  house  and  in  it  ran  at  large  horses,  cattle  and 
hogs. 

''Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  young  man  from  the 
West  (the  first  patient),  the  tank  which  supplied  the  en- 


In  Champaign  City  187 

gine  of  the  threshing-machine  with  water  was  cleaned 
out  and  filled  with  water  from  the  barn-lot  well  and 
taken  to  the  oats-field  where  the  men  drank  from  it 
freely.  As  this  water  from  the  barn-lot  was  contami- 
nated with  filterings  from  the  urine  and  feces  of  the 
hogs,  horses  and  cattle  all  about,  there  were  not  lacking 
those  who  attributed  the  outbreak  to  this  cause. 

"It  wiU  be  recalled  that  the  diagnosis  was  obscured 
for  a  time  by  the  accidental  administration  of  carbolic 
acid,  and  during  this  period  the  discharges  from  the 
patient's  bowels,  it  was  later  learned,  were  thrown  in 
the  barn-lot.  Hogs  running  at  large  in  this  enclosure 
may  have  conveyed  portions  of  the  discharges  to  the 
near  vicinity  of  the  well,  where  waste-water  from  filling 
the  thresher  engine  may  have  trickled  in  the  well. 

"Two  thirds  of  those  having  unmistakable  typhoid 
were  under  twenty-five.  Of  the  seven  persons  not  at- 
tacked three  were  past  forty-five  years  of  age,  one  was 
thirty-four,  the  age  of  another  is  not  known,  and  but  two 
were  under  thirty.  As  sixteen  of  the  typhoid  patients, 
when  in  the  full  vigor  of  health,  were  attacked  of  the 
threshing  party  and  at  the  farm-house  where  the  young 
man  came  home  sick,  and  some  of  them  were  at  his  bed- 
side, the  people  in  the  community  (some  of  them)  con- 
cluded the  disease  was  contagious." 

Another  possible  source  of  infection  should  not  be 
overlooked:  The  first  patient's  mother  was  housekeeper, 
cook  and  nurse  all  in  one,  and  as  we  have  seen,  she  gave 
the  patient  carbolic  acid  by  mistake  instead  of  his  medi- 
cine, who  shall  say  she  did  not  make  some  such  break 
as  giving  a  drink  out  of  a  dipper  or  cup  and  forget  to 
throw  out  what  was  not  used  by  the  patient ;  then  need- 
ing some  water  in  her  cooking  operations,  she  possibly 
used  that  which  a  moment  before  had  been  in  contact 
with  the  patients'  lips.  In  this  or  in  some  similar  man- 
ner thousands  of  typhoid  germs  may  have  contaminated 
the  food  that  the  threshers  ate. 


188  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

The  reader  may  smile  at  some  of  the  typhoid-etiology 
advanced  in  the  quotation  from  the  report  published 
in  the  Louisville  Practitioner  and  News,  but,  all  the 
same,  I  shall  have  to  assure  him  that  it  was  up  to  date 
only  a  little  more  than  a  generation  ago.  Furthermore 
in  that  period  inflammation  of  Peyer's  glands  was  re- 
garded as  the  very  essence  of  typhoid  fever ;  indeed,  so 
much  was  this  the  case  that  one  would  feel  justified  in 
saying,  "No  inflammation  of  Peyer's  glands,  no  typhoid 
fever. " 

Needless  to  say  that  in  the  period  of  which  I  write 
the  trained  nurse  had  not  as  yet  materialized.  True  she 
could  be  found  here  and  there  in  the  larger  cities,  but  in 
the  country  districts  she  was  absolutely  unknown.  This 
being  true  it  can  readily  be  seen  how  great  was  the  han- 
dicap under  which  patient  and  physician  labored  in  the 
old  days.  There  is  no  disease  in  which  a  faithful,  well- 
trained  nurse  can  render  more  efficient  and  more  next 
to  indispensable  service,  than  in  typhoid  fever. 

As  regards  the  cause  of  this  endemic  there  was  one 
person  who  entertained  no  doubts  whatever.  This  was 
the  mother  who  insisted  that  the  outbreak  was  due  to  the 
decree  of  a  just  Grod  Avho  in  this  manner  inflicted  upon 
her  a  punishment  for  her  sins  and  general  wickedness! 
Think  of  it !  A  visitation  such  as  this  upon  a  good,  faith- 
ful mother  and  a  consistent  member  of  a  Christian 
church !  Fortunately  the  general  knowledge  of  the  germ 
theory  of  the  origin  of  disease  with  which  most  people 
are  today  familiar  has  served  to  minimize  the  possiblity 
of  conclusions  such  as  the  above  being  arrived  at. 

Some  years  after  locating  in  Champaign  I  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  I  had 
not  been  serving  long  when  reports  came  in  that  children 
in  certain  parts  of  the  city  were  afflicted  with  obscure 
symptoms  accompanied  with  a  slight  rash.  The  reports 
were  confusing  but  on  the  whole  suggested  mild  scarlet 


In  Champaign  City  189 

fever.  But  owing  to  the  fact  that  Champaign  had  no 
Health  Officer  the  course  to  pursue  was  not  as  plain  as 
could  be  desired.  Finally  I  was  appointed  a  committee 
of  one  to  wait  on  our  Mayor  and  see  what  could  be  done 
in  the  direction  of  appointing  a  competent  Health  Offi- 
cer. I  called  on  his  Honor,  an  ethical  physician,  and  he 
listened  to  my  suggestion  patiently  and  when  I  was 
through  said  they  had  a  Health  Committee  made  up  of 
three  aldermen  and  that  they  ought  to  be  able  to  care  for 
practically  any  emergency.  After  hearing  what  he  had 
to  say  I  began  talking  as  one  medical  man  to  another 
and  finally  got  him  to  promise  to  appoint  a  competent 
physician  as  city  Health  Officer.  I  took  my  leave  and 
what  was  my  surprise  a  day  or  two  later  to  receive  no- 
tice that  I  had  been  appointed  to  the  place  suggested. 
Furthermore,  I  was  requested  to  call  on  the  city  at- 
torney and  make  needed  suggestions  relative  to  a  set  of 
ordinances  that  would  have  to  be  drawn  up  to  meet  the 
new  situation.  In  due  time  this  was  done  and  the  or- 
dinances were  duly  passed  by  the  city  council  and  signed 
by  the  mayor. 

This  done  I  got  in  touch  with  Dr.  John  H.  Ranch, 
Secretary  of  the  Illinois  State  Board  of  Health,  and  he 
very  promptly  supplied  me  with  reprints  and  other  lit- 
erature telling  me  what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it.  Among 
other  things  there  were  specific  directions  how  to  disin- 
fect a  patient,  how  to  disinfect  a  room,  how  to  proceed 
in  case  a  patient  was  dead  after  an  attack  of  contagious 
disease.  All  this  may  sound  strange  to  the  professional 
reader  of  today.  But  he  must  recollect  that  everything 
must  have  a  beginning,  and  that  to  this  rule  disease- 
prevention  is  no  exception.  Furthermore,  all  this  was 
under  the  shadow  of  a  great  educational  institution,  the 
University  of  Illinois.  Yet  this  educational  center  the 
home  of  a  great  State  University  allowed  the  decade  of 
the  eighties  to  run  well  through  its  length  before  its  im- 


190  Sixty  Yeaks  in  the  Medical  Harness 

mediate  environs  could  claim  the  protection  of  a  regular 
Health  Official. 

Not  a  great  while  after  my  term  of  service  began,  a 
local  practitioner  came  in  my  office  one  day  and  said  he 
guessed  that  he  had  a  family  in  the  northeast  part  of 
town  in  which  there  was  a  pretty  well-marked  case  of 
diphtheria  and  that  there  were  more  of  the  children  be- 
ginning to  complain.  I  accompanied  him  to  the  house 
named  and  sure  enough  there  was  an  outbreak  of  diph- 
theria. About  two  weeks  before  the  oldest  son  had 
come  home  from  attending  a  parochial  school  in  a  town 
some  distance  away,  bringing  with  him  his  clothes,  trunk 
and  other  belongings.  In  about  a  week  he  began  to  com- 
plain and  later  his  case  developed  as  narrated  above. 

The  family  was  quarantined  and  as  far  as  practic- 
able the  well  children  segregated  from  the  sick,  but  in 
spite  of  all  our  efforts  five  of  the  nine  children  in  the 
family  died  from  the  disease  with  which  all  were 
stricken.     (This  was  in  the  late  eighties.) 

Despite  our  trying  the  hardest  to  enforce  quarantine 
and  disinfect  properly  the  disease  spread,  found  numer- 
ous victims  in  the  Twin  Cities  of  Champaign  and  Ur- 
bana  and  in  the  country  surrounding  and  before  it  had 
burned  itself  out,  so  to  speak,  scores  of  children  and 
some  older  fell  victims  to  its  fatal  inroads.  In  that  per- 
iod Behring's  serum  for  the  treatment  of  diphtheria  had 
not  yet  come  in  use,  though  it  did  just  a  little  later.  The 
treatment  consisted  mainly  of  topical  applications  of 
such  agents  as  chlorate  of  potash,  carbolic  acid,  etc. 
Meanwhile  quinine  and  various  preparations  of  iron 
were  given  internally.  While  our  earlier  efforts  at  iso- 
lation and  quarantine  were  not  what  we  hoped  for  our 
later  work  secured  better  results.  I  recall  one  large 
family  of  children  in  which  one  of  these  was  attacked 
with  diphtheria  and  I  prevailed  on  the  family  with  the 
hearty  concurrence  of  the  medical  attendant,  to  put  the 
patient  upstairs  in  a  room  to  itself  with  the  fewest  pos- 


In  Champaign  City  191 

sible  furnishings.  As  the  weather  was  warm,  we  easily 
persuaded  the  children  to  spend  most  of  their  time  out  of 
doors.  The  up-stairs  patient  finally  recovered  from  a 
long  serious  attack  of  the  epidemic  ailment,  but  happily 
to  say  not  another  member  of  the  family  was  stricken. 
This  experience  in  less  degree  was  repeated  during  the 
prevalence  of  the  epidemic.  Health-measures  and 
health-enforcement  were  all  new  in  that  period  and  in 
many  instances  the  people  did  not  take  kindly  to  these. 
Notwithstanding,  however,  and  in  spite  of  other  handi- 
caps that  I  was  compelled  to  labor  under  I  yet  look  back 
to  my  pioneer  work  during  that  diphtheria  outbreak, 
now  a  full  third  of  a  century  in  the  past,  as  quite  pos- 
sibly the  most  satisfactory  in  my  long  professional  life. 

Up  hill,  as  most  of  my  work  was,  yet  I  am  sure  that 
our  quarantine  and  isolation,  incomplete  as  it  was,  by 
preventing  the  infection  of  many,  saved  not  a  few  lives 
as  a  final  outcome.  This,  under  the  circumstances,  I 
could  but  regard  as  cause  for  congratulation. 

Very  naturally  after  this  experience  in  segregating 
the  sick  from  the  well  my  mind  reverted  to  the  Tolono 
epidemic  of  1874,  when  we  had  no  health  laws,  but  when 
notwithstanding  I  wanted  to  put  the  first  patient  in  an 
Irish  family  in  an  upstairs  room  but  the  father  would 
not  consent  and  as  a  result  three  out  of  the  five  fine  chil- 
dren went  to  their  graves. 

Speaking  of  remedies  employed  in  this  epidemic,  I 
recall  one  case  of  my  own  where  I  had  the  patient  in- 
hale the  smoke  from  burning  bituminous  coal,  a  heroic 
measure  that  I  had  seen  recommended  in  this  disease. 

During  this  epidemic  I  got  the  first  Intubation  Outfit 
in  my  county  and  was  called  in  consultation  a  number 
of  times  to  use  it.  As  is  not  infrequently  the  case  my 
first  attempt  at  intubation  was  a  "ringer"  that  is,  a 
pronounced  success.  This  was  in  a  well-marked  case  of 
laryngeal  diphtheria  where  I  was  called  as  the  consult- 
ant.   The  child  recovered  and  as  I  could  but  think  I  had 


192  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

saved  its  life  when  asked  for  my  bill  I  said  one  hundred 
dollars.  At  this  the  father  "went  up  in  the  air,"  said 
I  was  a  highway  robber  and  more  to  that  effect.  He 
finally  paid  me  fifty  dollars  and  I  let  it  go  at  that, 
though  he  was  a  thrifty  farmer  and  land-owner. 

I  did  a  number  of  intubations  but  none  of  the  results 
were  as  satisfactory  as  the  first  one.  I  recall  one  in 
which  the  operation  was  followed  by  the  coughing  up  of 
a  membranous  tube  and  we  all  thought  we  would  surely 
win,  but  the  case  terminated  fatally,  notwithstanding. 
I  recall  another  in  which  death  occurred  very  shortly 
after  the  operation,  and  I  was  blamed.  Undoubtedly 
the  child  would  have  died  anyway  as  its  system  was 
loaded  ^^^th  toxins  and  this  fact  should  have  deterred 
me  from  operating.  But  as  things  were  I  yielded  to  the 
desires  of  both  the  doctor  and  friends  and  tried  to  in- 
troduce the  instrument. 

In  one  case  of  larj^ngeal  diphtheria  where  I  was 
about  to  operate  both  parents  kissed  the  child  before  I 
could  stop  them  and  when  I  remonstrated  I  think  they 
thought  me  a  brute. 

In  that  day  many  believed  croup  and  diphtheria  were 
distinct  diseases  and  in  addition  contemporary  writers 
described  what  they  termed  membranous  pharyngitis. 
During  the  prevalence  of  this  epidemic  my  little  girl 
aged  about  seven  years  began  to  complain  of  sore  throat 
and  to  be  on  the  safe  side  we  put  her  in  an  up-stairs 
room  to  herself.  In  a  few  days  she  had  a  fit  of  cough- 
ing and  calling  to  her  mother  said,  "O,  see  what  came 
out  of  my  mouth ! ' '  And  this  proved  to  be  what  does 
the  reader  think  ?  A  membrane  nearly  half  as  large  as  a 
lead  pencil.  Meanwhile  the  patient's  brother  five  years 
of  age  was  attacked  with  sore  throat  and  later  coughed 
up  a  membrane  precisely  like  his  sister  had  done.  For- 
tunately both  patients  made  a  good  recovery.  The  boy 
grew  to  manhood,  became  an  alumnus  of  the  University 
of  Illinois  and  a  graduate  of  the  Medical  Department 


In  Champaign  City  193 

of  the  University  of  Chicago,  served  an  internship  in 
Cook  County  Hospital,  was  a  Captain  in  the  medical  ser- 
vice overseas  during  the  World  "War  and  is  now  practic- 
ing in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  The  daughter  now  in 
mature  life  is  Reference  Librarian  in  the  University  of 
Illinois.  All  of  which  last  would  have  been  blank  had 
their  throat  trouble,  which  I  later  recognized  was  real 
diphtheria,  proved  fatal.  Furthermore,  I  was  no  doubt 
the  unwitting  purveyor  of  the  disease  to  my  two  chil- 
dren, yet  in  their  years  of  innocence. 

I  said  above  that  a  generation  ago  the  profession 
was  pretty  well  divided  on  the  question  of  the  identity 
of  croup  and  diphtheria.  Indeed,  a  number,  perhaps 
the  majority,  of  the  older  practitioners  always  believed 
that  croup  and  diphtheria  were  separate  and  entirely 
distinct  ailments.  And  to  be  fair,  they  had  much  on 
their  side  of  the  argument. 

Not  one  of  the  older  physicians  but  what  time  after 
time  had  a  case  of  well-marked  croup  that  four  times  in 
five  would  go  on  to  a  fatal  termination,  and  not  another 
child,  in  what  was  often  a  large  family,  would  be  at- 
tacked. Again  these  cases  nearly  always  developed 
quickly  (I  came  near  saying  suddenly)  with  high  fever, 
bounding  pulse  and  all  the  other  sj^mptoms  of  what  the 
older  authors  were  fond  of  calling  a  sthenic  condition. 
On  the  other  hand  no  one  who  has  seen  much  of  diph- 
theria cases  but  will  bear  testimony  to  the  very  general 
asthenic  condition  of  the  patients.  However,  time 
brings  about  many  changes,  and  today  the  profession  is 
practically  of  one  mind  in  believing  that  what  the  older 
men  were  wont  to  call  croup  was  laryngeal  diphtheria. 
Fortunately  the  almost  universal  use  of  Behring  's  serum 
that  has  come  about  has  effected  a  wonderful  influence 
in  saving  life  in  this  dread  disease.  Meantime  more 
rigid  and  better  managed  quarantine  has  had  the  ef- 
fect to  abolish  epidemics  of  this  disease  such  as  were 


194         Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

known  to  practitioners  of  a  bygone  era.  For  all  which 
let  us  be  duly  thankful. 

Many,  many  years  ago,  Charles  West,  a  famous  Eng- 
lish physician  and  author,  wrote  a  work  on  Ulceration  of 
the  Os  Uteri  which  had  a  world  wide  circulation  and 
created  a  "vogue."  A  vogue  for  the  treatment  of  ul- 
cerated ostii  with  topical  applications.  Many  were  the 
doctors  who  stocked  themselves  with  a  set  of  uterine 
speculams,  applicators  of  various  kinds,  swabs,  sponges, 
and  a  due  supply  of  astringents  and  caustics.  Duly 
provided  with  this  armamentarium  not  a  few  went  on 
the  war-path  with  seemingly  the  sole  object  of  securing 
all  the  patients  possible  for  treatment  in  this  way.  One 
man  of  my  acquaintance  who  was  in  full  mature  life 
and  had  enjoyed  a  large  obstetric  practice  became  an  es- 
pecially enthusiastic  worker  in  this  field  and  the  local 
applications  he  made  to  seemingly  badly  inflamed  ostii 
were  all  but  innumerable.  Moreover,  as  it  was  in  the 
days  of  pre-asepsis  most  of  his  work  was  to  put  it  mildly, 
unclean. 

Like  most  others,  I  in  a  measure  "tumbled  to  the 
racket,"  provided  myself  with  a  modest  outfit  and  did 
some  of  this  work.  However,  as  I  never  had  much  taste 
for  gynecological  practice  patients  thought  to  be  afflicted 
in  the  way  named,  did  not  come  to  me  in  droves,  so  to 
speak,  as  they  flocked  to  some  of  my  confreres.  Conse- 
quently my  conscience  is  relatively  clear,  because  in  that 
pre-aseptic  era  with  my  limited  number  of  topical  ap- 
plications I  did  not  run  the  risk  of  making  many  worse 
after  treatment  than  before  as  was  the  case  with  some 
of  my  competitors  whose  offices  were  at  times  crowded 
with  patients  of  this  kind. 

However,  this  vogue  for  the  local  treatment  of  uter- 
ine ostii,  that  had  been  in  full  sway,  in  our  "neck-of- 
the-woods,"  at  least,  was  destined  to  sudden  and  com- 
plete eclipse  when  in  1879,  or  thereabouts.  Dr.  E.  C. 
Dudley,  a  prominent  Chicago  gynecologist,  fresh  from 


In  Champaign  City  195 

the  clinics  of  Dr.  Thomas  Addis  Emmet  of  New  York, 
brought  to  us  the  startling  information  that  all  of  this 
supposed  ulceration  was  not  ulceration  but  a  "tear" 
which  the  mother  had  experienced  in  childbirth,  and 
Jhat  instead  of  caustic  and  astringent  applications  for 
its  relief  the  true  cure  was  an  operation.  This  oper- 
ation was  necessary  and  in  the  end  curative  because  in 
childbirth  the  uterine  cervix  had  been  lacerated  and  at 
best  had  only  healed  in  part.  The  torn  surfaces  as  ex- 
posed were  denuded  with  knife  or  scissors,  drawn  to- 
gether and  stitched  with  wire  sutures  which  last  were 
removed  when  healing  had  taken  place.  This  operation 
had  been  given  the  name  trachelorrhaphy,  a  sort  of 
"jaw-breaker"  it  seemed  at  first.  Dr.  Dudley  had  grown 
to  be  an  expert  in  performing  it  and  likewise  a  most 
willing  demonstrator  of  all  that  pertained  to  its  tech- 
nique. My  confrere  who  had  so  long  and  so  industri- 
ously been  applying  his  astringents  and  caustics,  speed- 
ily became  a  convert  to  Emmet's  recently  devised  opera- 
tion on  the  lacerated  uterine  neck  and  under  the  tute- 
lage of  Dr.  Dudley,  twenty-five  years  or  more  his  junior, 
in  due  time  came  to  be  almost  as  skillful  in  operating  as 
his  teacher.  Finally,  the  result  of  Dr.  Dudley's  frequent 
visits  to  our  community  and  the  marked  aptness  of  his 
pupil  was  an  epidemic,  if  one  may  so  speak,  of  trache- 
lorrhaphies which  started  in  with  the  eighties,  ran 
through  the  nineties  and  well  into  the  twentieth  century. 
I  recall  an  operation  for  the  removal  of  a  malignant 
growth  from  the  abdomen  of  a  middle-aged  woman,  made 
by  two  prominent  Chicago  surgeons  in  the  late  eighties. 
Antiseptic  surgery  had  but  recently  come  in  vogue 
and  one  of  its  latest  edicts  was  that  all  major  opera- 
tions must  be  performed  under  a  warm,  heavily 
carbolized  spray  and  in  a  heated  atmosphere.  The 
patient  operated  upon  was  not  mine,  but  that  of  a 
brother  physician  who  verj'-  kindly  asked  me  to  be  pres- 


196  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

ent  and  witness  an  up-to-date  operation.  As  there  were 
many  adhesions  the  operation  was  a  long  and  tedious 
one,  and  before  it  was  finished  the  atmosphere  of  the 
room  in  which  it  occurred  became  heavy  with  the  fumes 
of  carbolic  acid  and  so  heated  that  the  thermometer  must 
have  run  away  up  in  the  nineties.  Out  of  doors  was  a 
winter  atmosphere  and  I  never  felt  anything  more  grate- 
ful than  the  breathing  of  this  seemed  after  leaving  the 
heavily  drugged  and  stifling  atmosphere  of  the  apart- 
ment in  which  the  operation  had  occurred.  I  was  but 
an  ordinary  country  practitioner,  nevertheless  when  I 
recovered  from  the  extreme  depression  which  I  felt  just 
before  leaving  the  scene  of  operation  I  said  to  myself 
"Well,  if  that  is  the  latest  and  best  environment  up-to- 
date  medical  and  surgical  science  can  supply  may  an 
ever-kind  Providence  deliver  me  from  it."  In  marked 
contrast  to  the  foregoing  I  recall  an  operation  I  wit- 
nessed in  Cook  County  Hospital,  Chicago,  some  ten 
years  later.  It  was  an  appendectomy  by  a  skilled  sur- 
geon and  in  an  atmosphere  so  cold  that  we  all  felt 
obliged  to  wear  our  heavy  winter  overcoats.  The  last 
named  patient  died  as  did  the  former.  In  the  first  case 
there  were  diseased  conditions  that  made  death  in- 
evitable. 


XVII 

MEDICINE  IN  THE  EIGHTIES  AND  NINETIES 

No  oalling  in  life  is  so  sublimely  epic  as  that  of  the  physician. 
— Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 

THE  decade  of  the  Eighties  was  in  medicine  a  period 
of  transition,  from  the  old  to  the  new.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  this  decade  comparatively  few  in  the  pro- 
fession at  large  admitted  the  truth  of  the  germ  theory 
of  the  origin  of  disease ;  at  its  close  a  very  much  smaller 
few  had  the  temerity  to  question  its  truth  and  correct- 
ness. 

Likewise  at  the  coming  in  of  the  Eighties  compara- 
tively few  practitioners  made  the  endeavor  to  make  use 
of  asepsis  and  antisepsis.  At  the  going  out  of  the 
Eighties  the  physician  who  did  not  practice  medical  and 
surgical  cleanliness  was  branded  a  "back  number." 

At  the  coming  in  of  this  decade  Preventive  Medicine 
may  be  truthfully  said  to  have  started  on  the  quest  to 
secure  its  own.  State  after  State  was  added  to  the  list  of 
Commonwealths  which  put  Medical  Practice  Acts  on  the 
pages  of  their  Statute  Books,  and  sought  to  add  to  the 
public  weal  with  properly  organized  Boards  of  Health. 
Then  too,  at  about  the  beginning  of  this  Era  the  Na- 
tional Board  of  Health  was  organized,  ran  a  brief 
existence  and  finally  perished  from  want  of  funds  and 
likewise  from  State  Rights  jealousy. 

However,  practically  all  public  health  endeavor  and 
work  were  curtailed  and  handicapped  for  the  lack  of 
adequate  financial  backing.  It  was  the  old,  old  story, 
the  welfare  of  cattle,  horses,  hogs  and  other  livestock, 
in  far  too  many  instances,  by  the  average  legislator,  was 
deemed  of  more  significance  and  consequently  received 

197 


198  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

more  financial  and  other  consideration  than  did  the  hu- 
man animal. 

While  as  intimated  above  the  profession  in  general 
did  not  come  to  recognize  the  full  truth  and  importance 
of  the  germ  theory  of  disease  till  about  the  beginning  of 
the  eighth  decade  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  a  number 
of  earnest  men,  for  a  dozen  years  or  more,  had  been 
working  industriously  to  advance  our  knowledge  along 
scientific  and  likewise  more  definite  lines.  Among  the 
more  prominent  of  these  may  be  named  Louis  Pasteur  of 
France  and  Robert  Koch  of  Germany.  Pasteur  was  born 
in  1822  and  died  seventy-three  years  later  in  1895. 
Robert  Koch  was  born  in  1843  (the  same  year  in  which 
I  for  the  first  time  saw  the  light  of  day)  and  died  in 
1910,  aged  sixty-seven  years. 

In  1882  Koch  made  his  world  renowned  investigation 
that  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the  tubercle  bacillus 
with  its  necessary  corollary,  namely,  that  tuberculosis 
was  and  is  an  infectious  and  contagious  disease.  The 
next  year  Koch  discovered  the  cholera  vibrio  and  demon- 
strated that  its  transmission  most  frequently  occurred 
through  the  ingestion  of  contaminated  drinking  water 
and  food.  In  this  period  Koch  also  formulated  his  fam- 
ous postulates  as  follows :  First,  the  organism  suspected 
of  causing  a  given  disease  must  he  found  in  all  cases  of 
that  particular  disease.  Second,  this  organism  must  he 
isolated  from  the  diseased  individual  and  reproduced  in 
pure  culture.  Third,  pure  cultures  of  the  organism  ivhen 
injected  in  a  suitable  animal  must  reproduce  the  disease. 
Fourth,  the  specific  organism  in  question  must  again  he 
isolated  from  the  individual  in  which  the  disease  had 
been  reproduced. 

About  1880  Eberth  discovered  the  typhoid  bacillus 
since  which  time  this  organism  is  often  called  by  the 
name  of  its  discoverer,  that  is  to  say,  the  Eberth  bacillus. 
Furthermore  in  the  decade  of  the  Eighties  the  diphtheria 


In  the  Eighties  and  Nineties  199 

germ,  familiarly  knowm  as  the  Klebs-Loefler  bacillus,  was 
discovered.  Edwin  Klebs  by  the  way  was  no  common 
man  and,  indeed,  was  a  true  pioneer  in  working  out  the 
germ  theoiy  of  the  origin  of  disease,  and  consequently 
in  this  field  no  one  is  entitled  to  more  honor.  It  is  said 
that  Klebs  antedated  Eberth  in  the  discovery  of  the  ty- 
phoid bacillus,  investigated  the  pathology  of  traumatic 
infections  before  Koch  and  inoculated  monkeys  with 
syphilis  before  Metehnikoff.  By  the  way  it  was  in  the 
Eighties  that  Metehnikoff  in  his  studies  of  inflammation 
unearthed  the  fact  that  the  white  blood  corpuscles  have 
the  power  of  absorbing  bacteria,  technically  called 
phagocytosis,  and  thus  curtailing  disease  generation.  In 
this  era  Louis  Pasteur  evolved  his  vaccine  therapy  for 
the  prevention  of  some  ailments  and  the  arrest  and  treat- 
ment of  others.  His  methods  were  especially  effective  in 
hydrophobia  and  anthrax. 

In  May,  1886,  The  American  Medical  Association  met 
in  Saint  Louis,  Missouri  and  during  the  session  Dr.  Regi- 
nald H.  Fitz  read  an  epoch-making  paper,  entitled,  "Per- 
forating Inflammations  of  the  Vermiform  Appendix, 
^\ith  special  Reference  to  its  Diagnosis  and  Treatment." 
The  paper  was  based  upon  an  analysis  of  257  cases  of  un- 
questionable perforating  ulcer  of  the  appendix,  and  209 
cases  diagnosed  as  typhilitis,  perityphlitis  and  peri- 
typhlitie  abscess. 

In  the  way  of  treatment.  Dr.  Fitz  recommended  rest, 
liquid  diet  and  opium  to  quiet  pain.  However,  if  the 
sjTnptoms  were  of  a  character  to  threaten  peritonitis  in- 
cision and  removal  of  the  appendix  was  thought  to  be 
indicated. 

This  paper  of  Dr.  Fitz  attracted  world-wide  atten- 
tion, the  trouble  soon  came  to  be  known  as  appendicitis, 
and  very  soon  thereafter  this  disease  received  general 
recognition,  the  operation  of  appendectomy  was  devised 
and  in  due  time  became  popular, — much  too  popular  it 


200  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

is  feared  with  some  operators.  I  was  long  ago  fully  per- 
suaded that  appendectomy  when  used  in  properly  se- 
lected cases  is  as  legitimate  an  operation  as  any  other  in 
the  whole  domain  of  surgery.  Nevertheless,  and  not- 
withstanding the  legitimacy  of  appendectomy,  some 
practitioners  are  disposed  to  resort  to  it  for  each  and 
every  ache  and  pain  any  where  in  the  vicinity  of  Mc- 
Burney's  region  which  is  supposed  to  define  the  limits 
involved  in  an  attack  of  appendicitis. 

No  doubt  that  on  the  whole  properly  performed  ap- 
pendectomies have  been  the  means  of  curtailing  much 
suffering  and  saving  many  lives.  Furthermore  for  nearly 
a  generation  it  has  added  greatly  to  the  net  income  of 
physicians,  well  earned  in  most  cases.  However  with 
some,  fortunately  a  small  minority,  it  has  been  greatly 
and  sadly  overdone. 

Naturally  the  epoch-making  paper  of  Dr.  Fitz  made 
him  famous.  He  was  very  near  my  own  age.  He  died 
in  1913  from  ulcer  of  the  stomach,  aged  71. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  need  for  operation 
in  many  appendeceal  cases  came  to  be  apparent,  near 
the  same  time  that  antiseptic  surgery  became  of  practi- 
cally universal  application,  let  the  case  be  of  whatsoever 
character. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  may  be  said  that 
Pasteur's  discovery  of  the  germ  theory  of  the  origin  of 
disease  is  only  a  little  less  important  in  the  field  of  medi- 
cine than  was  Newton's  discovery  of  the  law  of  gravita- 
tion in  the  world  of  physics  yet  it  took  some  time  to  con- 
vince many  in  the  profession  of  its  truth  and  tremendous 
significance.  It  is  said  that  when  Harvey,  three  hun- 
dred years  ago,  announced  his  discovery  of  the  circula- 
tion of  the  blood  it  met  with  such  opposition  that  no 
physician  beyond  forty  years  of  age  would  accept  it.  In 
the  end  the  great  majority  of  physicians  a  generation  ago 
accepted  the  germ  theory  but  even  many  of  the  most 


In  the  Eighties  and  Nineties  201 

prominent  were  slow  to  do  this,  "felt  their  way,"  as  it 
were,  which  was  only  proper. 

When  in  1885  Dr.  William  Pepper  of  Philadelphia 
brought  out  his  most  admirable  System  of  Medicine,  in 
his  preface  he  referred  to  the  germ  theory  as  a  "  matter 
which  is  still  suh  judice,  and  which  demands  much  more 
critical  and  skillful  investigation  before  its  true  scientific 
position  has  been  finally  determined."  Dr.  Pepper  was 
one  of  the  ablest  medical  men  of  his  generation  and  died 
all  too  soon,  July  28,  1898  of  cardiac  dilatation  while  yet 
in  his  fifty-fifth  year.  He,  too,  was  very  near  my  own 
age  being  forty-six  days  my  senior.  Query  ?  Wliy  was 
I,  just  an  ordinary  country  doctor,  left  and  he,  so  able,  so 
useful,  and  so  much  needed,  taken  ?  At  the  time  of  Dr. 
Pepper's  death  he  was  Provost  (President)  of  the  great 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  filled  the  chair  of  Practice 
in  its  Medical  Department  and  was  a  leader  in  a  num- 
ber of  other  important  movements.  He  was  an  untiring 
and  ceaseless  worker  and  was  wont  to  throw  his  whole 
soul  and  energies  in  whatsoever  he  was  engaged. 

Dr.  Henry  Hartshorn  wrote  the  chapter  on  Etiology 
in  Pepper's  System  of  Medicine  and  referring  to  the 
germ  theory  said,  "So  far  this  inquiry  is  not  yet 
terminated,  while  experiments  and  observations  become 
more  and  more  numerous  and  elaborate,  opinions  con- 
tinue to  differ;  and  we  must  await  the  time  when,  by 
successfully  excluding,  one  after  another,  all  the  sources 
of  error,  a  truly  scientific  conclusion  may  be  obtained." 

While  the  decade  of  the  Eighties  was  the  period  in 
which  the  germ  theory  of  the  origin  of  disease  was  in 
the  fullest  sense  suh  judice  the  decade  of  the  Nineties 
was  the  period  that  marked  its  full  acceptance  by  practi- 
call}"  all  up-to-date  physicians;  all  of  whom  were  made 
happy  in  the  realization  that  this  theory  lighted  up  very 
many  hitherto  dark  corners  and  crannies  in  medicine, 
explained  much   that   had   been   puzzling  and   enabled 


202  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

them  to  see  many  things  clearly  that  heretofore  they  had 
seen  only  as  "through  a  glass,  darkly." 

In  the  Eighties  Dr.  Alfred  L.  Loomis,  Professor  of 
the  Practice  of  Medicine,  University  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  and  one  of  that  city's  most  able  prac- 
titioners, published  an  excellent  work  on  Theory  and 
Pi-actice  in  which  he  at  first  hesitated  to  adopt  the  germ 
theory,  but  in  his  1890  edition  made  use  of  it  in  toto 
and  did  what  few  other  authors  did,  included  in  his 
opening  chapter  a  brief  summary  of  the  science  of  bac- 
teriology. 

Dr.  Osier  in  his  hard-to-equal  work  on  Theorj'^  and 
Practice,  the  first  edition  of  which  appeared  in  1892,  ac- 
cepted the  germ  theory  so  completely  that  he  did  away 
entirely  with  the  usual  preliminary  chapters  on  patholo- 
gy with  its  well-worn  (but  now  scrapped)  theories  of  in- 
flammation which  hitherto  had  been  regarded  as  little 
short  of  the  very  corner-stone  in  practically  all  disease 
processes,  and  instead,  started  boldly  out  with  a  descrip- 
tion of  typhoid  fever. 

While  I  am  not  sure  that  Dr.  Osier  was  the  pioneer 
in  thus  ''taking  the  bull  by  the  horns,"  as  it  were,  and 
started  boldly  out  in  his  description  of  individual  dis- 
eases at  the  outset,  I  have  observed  that  most  authors 
since  have  adopted  the  same  policy. 

He  was  a  very  able  man,  the  ablest  internist  I  can 
but  believe  in  the  English-speaking  world  of  his  day. 
Later  he  accepted  the  chair  of  Practice  in  Oxford,  and 
a  little  later  was  knighted  and  became  Sir  William  Os- 
ier, In  the  great  world  war  he  lost  a  son  on  the 
firing-line,  if  I  remember  rightly,  and  this  grieved 
him  much.  Not  long  after  the  end  of  the  great  war  he 
was  stricken  with  pneumonia  and  died,  aged  71  years, 
regretted  by  the  whole  medical  world  and  many  laymen. 
Osier  was  a  fine  looking  man,  was  gentlemanly  in  his  ad- 


In  the  Eighties  and  Nineties  203 

dress  and  in  every  way  filled  one 's  ideal  of  what  a  manly 
man  should  be. 

One  of  the  great  medical  men  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury was  Dr.  Austin  Flint  author  of  one  of  the  very  best 
text-books  on  Theory  and  Practice.  Dr.  Flint  had  the 
faculty  of  presenting  what  he  had  to  say  in  clear,  terse 
English  and  knowing  when  he  had  said  enough. 

Furthermore  in  example,  if  not  in  words,  he  entered 
his  protest  against  the  polypharmacy  of  many,  perhaps 
most,  of  his  predecessors  and  contemporaries.  Dr.  Flint 
died  in  1888  and  not  long  before  his  death  expressed  his 
conviction  that  the  germ  theory  of  disease,  that  was  then 
being  "weighed  in  the  balances,"  as  it  were,  was  des- 
tined to  have  an  almost  unbelievable  influence  on  future 
medicine. 

It  was  said  that  Dr.  Flint  originally  qualified  himself 
for  surgery  and  practiced  it  exclusively  for  a  time,  but 
later  abandoned  it  for  internal  medicine  because  of  his 
dread  of  mal-practice  suits,  much  more  liable  to  follow 
in  the  wake  of  the  first-named  branch  than  in  that  of 
the  latter. 

In  1880  Dr.  Roberts  Bartholow  became  the  author  of 
an  admirable  work  on  Theory  and  Practice,  which  like 
Flint's  work  was  clear  and  concise  and  like  Osier's 
Practice  a  number  of  years  later  began  the  description 
of  disease  "right  off  the  reel"  without  a  preliminary 
chapter  on  inflammation,  pathology,  etc.  Furthermore 
he  was  favorably  disposed  towards  the  germ  theory  and 
so  expressed  or  implied  his  belief  in  many  of  his  descrip- 
tions of  contagious  diseases.  Dr.  Bartholow  died  in  1904 
at  the  age  of  72  years.  His  friends  thought  he  should 
have  lived  longer  and  some  of  them  questioned  the  wis- 
dom of  his  resigning  the  chair  of  Practice  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio,  Cincinnati,  to  accept  the  one  of  JMateria 
Medica  and  General  Therapeutics  in  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia.    As  matters  turned  out  he  found 


204  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

competition  very  much  more  strenuous  in  Philadelphia 
than  in  Cincinnati  and  his  friends  believed  that  this 
conduced  to  a  nervous  trouble  which  later  developed  and 
finally  contributed  to  his  death.  Dr.  Bartholow  was  a 
hard  student,  an  industrious  worker,  a  good  teacher  and 
in  addition  to  his  work  on  Practice,  was  the  author  of  a 
number  of  text-books,  one  of  the  most  popular  of  which 
was  on  Therapeutics.  Unlike  Dr.  Flint  Dr.  Bartho- 
low was  a  \ery  pronounced  believer  in  the  power  and 
efficiency  of  drugs. 

Speaking  of  works  on  Therapeutics  one  of  these  by 
Ringer,  an  English  physician  was  very  popular  and  em- 
phasized the  use  of  drugs  in  much  smaller  doses  than 
had  hitherto  been  the  custom.  To  no  little  extent  Bartho- 
low in  this  particular,  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  Rin- 
ger. 

As  said  before  many  were  slow  to  accept  the  germ- 
theory  of  the  origin  of  disease  and  some  refused  to  do 
so  to  the  end.  Notably  among  the  objectors  was  a  no 
less  personage  than  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  of  Chicago  who  in 
the  late  seventies  wrote  a  long  article  strongly  con- 
demning the  germ  theory  and  which  appeared  in  the 
American  Practitioner  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Later 
in  his  major  work.  The  Principles  and  Practice  of  Medi- 
cine he  lost  no  opportunity  to  express  his  dissent  from 
this  theory  and  in  the  second  edition  of  this  book  issued 
in  1885,  five  years  after  the  discovery  of  Eberth's  bacil- 
lus, in  his  article  on  typhoid  said,  "And  we  are  assured 
by  these  authors  that  the  disease  (typhoid)  never  origi- 
nates in  any  house  or  locality  until  these  specific  germs 
have  been  introduced  from  previous  case  or  cases.  They 
contend  that  the  poison  never  originates  de  novo,  from 
any  amount  or  kind  of  decomposing  animal  excrements 
unless  the  specific  typhoid  germ  be  present.  .  .  .  Indeed, 
gentlemen  we  have  no  direct  or  positive  evidence  that 
this  much-talked  of  "typhoid  germ"  has  any  existence 
except  in  the  human  imagination. ' ' 


In  the  Eighties  and  Nineties  205 

So  much  for  one  of  the  most  prominent  "objectors" 
and  his  attitude  towards  the  germ  theory.  Dr.  Davis  had 
long  been  Chicago's  most  prominent  physician,  was  the 
Father  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  lived 
to  become  the  Nestor  of  American  Medicine,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  of  his  adverse  views  on  what  proved 
to  be  the  most  important  medical  discovery  of  modem 
times. 

But  while  Chicago's  most  eminent  physician  uncom- 
promisingly opposed  the  germ  theory,  one  of  her  promi- 
nent surgeons,  an  eminent  pathologist,  Dr.  Christian 
Fenger  did  perhaps  more  than  any  one  else  to  prove  to 
all  within  the  sphere  of  his  influence,  the  truth  of  this 
then  new  conception  in  the  medical  world. 

During  the  mid-nineties,  or  a  little  earlier,  Rontgen 
discovered  the  X-Ray  which  has  proved  a  most  valuable 
aid  in  the  diagnosis  of  troubles  in  the  interior  of  the 
body. 

In  the  late  nineties  Pierre  Curie  and  his  wife  dis- 
covered radium  which  has  seemingly  cured  some  cancer- 
ous cases  and  relieved  others.  However  both  the  x-ray 
and  radium  are  powerful  agents  and  the  former  in  tlie 
early  daj^s  of  its  therapeutic  use  cost  the  life  of  more 
than  one  medical  man,  in  his  zeal  to  test  and  prove  the 
virtues  of  the  new  and  yet-to-be-tried  remedy. 

In  1898  came  the  Spanish- American  War  and  as  the 
germ  theory  had  come  to  be  generally  accepted  by  the 
profession  and  supposedly  great  progress  made  in  dis- 
ease-prevention all,  seemingly,  had  good  reason  to  ex- 
pect a  much  less  relative  prevalence  of  the  infectious 
ailments  than  was  the  case  in  the  Civil  War.  Unfor- 
tunately these  hopefully  minded  people  were  all  doomed 
to  disappointment.  Shortly  after  the  soldiers  began  to 
assemble  in  camps  typhoid  fever  began  to  show  itself 
and  before  the  end  of  the  struggle  a  surprisingly  large 
per  cent  of  the  men  were  infected  and  manv  deaths  oc- 


206         Sixty  Years  in  the  Medicvl  Harness 

curred.  Indeed,  many  more  died  from  typhoid  than 
from  the  enemy 's  bullets.  This  experience  was  very  un- 
fortunate and  to  an  extent,  was  a  reflection  on  the  Army 
Medical  Department,  but  it  had  the  effect  to  stir  those 
in  charge  to  make  a  most  thorough  and  scientific  investi- 
gation and  if  my  memory  serves  me  correctly  a  special 
Commissin  was  appointed  for  this  purpose  of  which  Dr. 
Victor  C.  Vaughan  of  The  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  was  a  most  active  and  efficient 
member.  One  of  the  important  revelations  of  this  work 
was  that  the  common  housefly,  since  most  properly  called 
the  typhoid- fly,  was  the  purveyor  of  this  disease  in  very 
many  instances.  Powdered  lime  was  sprinkled  on  the 
excavations  (called  latrines  in  army  circles)  made  in  the 
soil  not  far  distant  from  the  cook-tents,  for  the  toilet  uses 
of  the  men.  In  due  time  flies  with  powdered  lime  on  their 
wings  and  feet  were  found  crawling  over  the  food  in  the 
nearby  cook-tent.  Thus  was  one  made  to  see  how  easily 
the  typhoid  bacillus  could  be  carried  to  food  that  would 
later  be  ingested  by  the  men.  Moral:  Screen  the  food 
and  likewise,  when  possible  screen  the  latrines  as  well. 

This  Commission  for  the  first  time  brought  out  the 
fact  that  certain  individuals  after  recovering  from  an 
attack  of  typhoid  became  and  for  long,  remained  "car- 
riers" of  that  disease.  In  fact  it  developed  that  certain 
soldiers  had  suffered  from  typhoid  while  in  civil  life,  re- 
covered, passed  the  physical  examination,  donned  the 
army  uniform  and  to  all  appearances  were  healthy,  yet 
M^ere  "typhoid  carriers," — real  purveyors  of  that  very 
serious  disease.  Subsequently  it  developed  that  certain 
individuals  have  the  misfortune  to  act  as  "carriers"  of 
any  one  of  the  contagious  diseases  from  which  they  were 
attacked.  ' '  Strange  but  true, ' '  indeed,  too  true  one  feels 
constrained  to  say. 

During  this  period  the  patent  medicine  man  was  in 
flower  and  numerous  cities  in  this  country  had  within 


In  the  Eighties  and  Nineties  207 

their  limits  palatial  homes  that  the  maker  and  vendor  of 
some  cheap  cure-all  had  built  and  furnished  from  his  ill- 
gotten  earnings.  In  that  period  the  patent  medicine 
man  was  as  soulless  as  one  well  could  be.  Some  inert 
compound  he  did  not  hesitate  to  advertise  as  a  specific 
for  tuberculosis,  cancer  and  other  ailments  that  the  most 
advanced  science  had  failed  to  find  a  remedy  for.  But 
what  cared  the  unprincipled  patent  medicine  man  so  he 
could  induce  the  poor  victim  to  buy  and  make  use  of  his 
boasted  cure. 

But  the  sex  field  was  where  the  patent  medicine  man 
reaped  his  biggest  harvest.  He  would  get  up  little  book- 
lets detailing  the  awful  effects  of  certain  youthful  prac- 
tices. And  having  seen  that  this  got  in  the  hands  of  his 
intended  victim  he  had  ready  another  "screed"  explain- 
ing how  the  free  and  long  continued  use  of  a  certain  one 
of  his  cure-alls  would  surely  and  in  time  bring  relief  to 
the  poor  deluded  youth.  In  this  period  I  had  a  housefuU 
of  boys  in  or  near  the  high  school  age  and  either  I  or  my 
wife  watched  the  front  door  to  get  hold  of  this  vile  litera- 
ture that  our  front  porch  was  regularly  besmirched  with. 

Fortunate!}^  before  the  nineties  had  run  their  full 
course  the  Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association 
began  the  exposure  of  some  of  the  more  flagrant  methods 
of  the  patent  medicine  man  and  in  due  time  things  be- 
gan to  look  better.  Indeed,  under  the  continuous  ham- 
mering and  pounding  of  the  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A. 
our  front  porch,  along,  I  take  it  with  thousands  of  others 
in  this  broad  land,  has  become  absolutely  free  from  the 
old-time  filth  with  which  it  was  once  polluted.  This  class 
of  vicious  patent  medicine  men  were  wont  to  get  the 
names  of  high-school  pupils  from  the  printed  catalogs 
and  mail  them  their  nasty  publications.  Fortunately 
the  propaganda  of  the  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  has  been 
the  means  of  showing  up  and  driving  to  their  hiding- 


208  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

places  most  of  the  vile  wretches  who  plied  their  vicious 
game. 

As  said  elsewhere  the  whiskey  or  some  other  form  of 
alcohol  that  entered  into  the  make-up  of  most  patent 
medicines  was,  and  is,  the  chief  element  in  their  popu- 
larity in  many  instances. 


XVIII 

MOSTLY  ABOUT  THINGS,  HORSES  AND  PEOPLE 

Hour  alter  hour  has  found 

The  good  physician  on  his  round. 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 

CHAMPAIGN  County  is  in  the  heart  of  the  Illinois 
corn-belt  and  the  soil  is  a  black  loam  wonderfully 
fertile  and  productive,  but  0,  what  a  muck  and  mire 
it  becomes  after  a  heavy  rainfall.  Indeed,  the  roads  at 
times  become  impassable.  Especially  was  this  true  forty 
years  ago.  Sometimes  in  February  and  March  there 
would  be  a  rainy  season  or  melting  snow  and  then  a 
moderate  freeze  with  the  result  that  a  horse  would  break 
through  at  every  step  which  rendered  the  going  as  bad 
as  could  well  be  imagined.  More  than  once  under  these 
circumstances  I  have  left  my  horses  in  the  stable,  put  on 
my  rubber  boots  and  visited  my  patients  on  foot.  When 
the  roads  were  bad  for  a  wheel  vehicle  I  always  pre- 
ferred to  make  my  way  on  horseback.  I  had  a  pair  of 
hand-made  saddle  bags  that  I  got  from  an  older  physi- 
cian, who  had  cut  out  his  country  practice,  that  served 
me  admirably  for  a  long  period.  I  have  gone  in  the  sad- 
dle in  all  kinds  of  weather  and  of  the  darkest  nights — so 
dark  on  some  occasions,  indeed,  that  the  horse's  head 
was  next  to  invisible.  Under  these  circumstances  I 
would  give  full  rein  to  my  trusty  four-footed  friend  and 
he  never  failed  to  carry  me  safely  to  my  destination. 

I  cannot  recall  that  I  ever  lost  my  way  or  failed  of 
a  dark  stormy  night  to  answer  the  call  as  requested. 
However,  one  of  my  competitors  was  called  to  visit  a  cer- 
tain family  one  very  dark  night  and  as  he  did  not  get 
there  as  expected  I  was  called  up  over  the  phone  and  in 

209 


210  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

response  got  in  the  saddle  and  in  due  time  ministered  to 
the  patient's  wants  as  seemed  needed.  Next  morning 
my  competitor  came  in  my  office  and  asked  if  I  had  last 
night  visited  Mr.  Blank's  in  the  country.  I  answered 
that  I  had. 

"Well,"  he  said  "I  tried  to,  spent  half  the  night 
trying  to  find  the  place  but  finally  gave  it  up  as  a  bad 
job  and  came  home. ' '  Then  he  took  occasion  to  make  the 
air  all  about  blue  with  "cusswords."  He  was  a  man 
with  much  energy  and  perseverence  and  I  wondered  that 
he  would  permit  himself  to  "fall  down"  as  he  had  on 
this  occasion.  However  the  roads  were  very  bad  and  as 
he  was  in  a  cart  he  was  in  this  waj'-  under  a  handicap  as 
compared  to  the  saddle  in  which  I  found  my  way  suc- 
cessfully. 

Speaking  of  the  one-wheeled  cart  there  was  a  period 
in  the  late  eighties  and  early  nineties  when  this  vehicle 
was  popular  with  the  country  practitioner  and  likewise 
with  the  people  at  large.  And  by-the-way  I  recall  a  very 
sad  ease  where  a  young  woman,  a  very  capable  school 
teacher,  was  driving  in  one  of  these  carts  when  the  horse 
became  frightened  and  jumped  suddenly  which  threw 
the  occupant  out  and  most  unfortunately  she  fell  with 
her  head  between  one  of  the  wheels  and  the  step  and  as 
the  horse  was  running  the  poor  woman  was  found  later 
in  the  position  described  with  her  neck  broken. 

After  a  period  of  eight  or  ten  years  these  carts  went 
out  of  use  and  all  returned  to  four-wheeled  vehicles  and 
remained  true  to  these  till  the  coming  in  of  automobiles 
in  the  twentieth  century. 

I  got  used  to  the  saddle  and  came  to  use  it  a  great 
deal  in  my  country  practice.  This  mode  of  travel  served 
to  bring  one  in  much  closer  relations  with  the  faithful 
horse  upon  which  every  physician  had  necessarily  to  de- 
pend entirely  in  the  old  days,  especially  of  nights;  if 
one  was  in  the  saddle  the  horse  seemed  to  be  real  com- 


Various  Things  211 

pany,  so  intimate,  at  such  times,  was  the  relation  of  horse 
and  rider. 

The  best  doctor's  horse  I  ever  knew  was  "Old  Jack," 
the  property  of  one  of  my  physician  friends.  "Old 
Jack,"  so  called  from  his  long  and  faithful  serAnce,  was 
jet  black,  was  near  thirteen  and  one-half  hands  high, 
weighed  about  one  thousand  pounds,  was  clean  limbed 
and  muscled  like  a  prize-fighter.  "Old  Jack"  never 
seemed  to  get  tired  and  was  hence  always  fresh  and 
ready  for  service.  His  owner  retired  from  practice  and 
for  a  time  I  had  the  use  of  this  remarkable  animal  and 
found  great  satisfaction  therein.  He  rendered  good  ser- 
vice till  he  passed  his  twenty-fifth  year  and  finally  died 
of  old  age  when  well  in  his  thirties. 

When  a  boy  much  of  my  time  was  spent  on  the  farm, 
consequently  I  saw  and  learned  much  of  horses  and  this 
added  to  about  forty  years'  contact  with  them  in  my 
professional  life  has  made  me  think  that  the  average 
person  does  not  realize  what  this  noble  animal  has  been 
in  the  life  of  man.  Indeed,  next  to  the  dog  no  animal 
comes  in  such  intimate  contact  with  humanity  as  the 
horse.  Yet  how  the  poor  horse  has  been  abused  !  I  think 
there  are  few  men  who  have  used  horses  much  who  can- 
not look  back  and  wish  that,  in  certain  instances,  they 
could  have  been  kinder  to  this  most  useful  servant  and 
here  I  will  insert  something  from  an  unknown  writer, 
though  especially  pertinent,  namely : 

The  Prayer  op  the  Horse 

' '  To  Thee,  My  Master,  I  offer  my  Prayer :  Feed  me 
and  take  care  of  me.  Be  kind  to  me.  Do  not  jerk  the 
reins :  do  not  whip  me  when  going  up  hill.  Never  strike, 
beat  or  kick  me  when  I  fail  to  understand  what  you 
want,  but  give  me  a  chance  to  understand  you. 

"Watch  me  and  if  I  fail  to  understand  your  bidding, 
see  if  there  is  not  something  wrong  with  my  harness.  Do 
not  give  me  too  heavy  loads.     Never  hitch  me  where 


212  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

water  will  drop  on  me.  Keep  me  well  shod.  Examine 
my  teeth  when  I  fail  to  eat ;  I  may  have  an  ulcerated 
tooth.  That,  you  know  is  very  painful.  I  am  unable  to 
tell  you  in  words  when  I  am  sick ;  so  watch  me  and  I  will 
try  to  tell  you  by  signs. 

"Pat  me  sometimes ;  I  enjoy  it  and  I  will  learn  to  love 
you.  Protect  me  in  summer  from  the  hot  sun.  Keep  a 
blanket  on  me  in  winter  weather,  and  never  put  a  frosty 
bit  in  my  mouth  but  hold  it  in  your  hands  a  moment 
first. 

"I  carry  you,  pull  you,  wait  patiently  for  you  long 
hours,  day  or  night.  I  cannot  tell  you  when  I  am 
thirsty ;  give  me  clean,  cold  water  often  in  hot  weather. 

"Finally  when  my  strength  is  gone,  instead  of  turn- 
ing me  over  to  a  human  brute,  to  be  tortured  and  starved, 
take  my  life  in  the  easiest  and  quickest  way,  and  your 
God  will  reward  you  in  this  life  and  in  Heaven.    Amen." 

Fortunately  for  the  horse  the  automobile  has  come 
to  stay  and  relieve  the  poor,  jaded  beast  of  many  of  his 
oldtime  hardships  and  burdens.  The  use  of  gasoline, 
while  expensive  in  this  era  of  the  World  War  and  makes 
us  loosen  our  purse-strings,  yet  it  does  not  tug  at  our 
heart-strings  as  did  the  excessive  use  of  horseflesh,  that 
was  sometimes  resorted  to. 

No  one  who  has  not  "been  through  the  mill"  can  in 
any  sense  realize  the  terrible  weight  of  responsibility 
that  at  times  is  thrown  on  the  shoulders  of  the  country 
practitioner.  For  illustration,  he  is  called  to  attend  an 
obstetric  case  ten  miles  in  the  country  in  the  month  of 
March  with  roads  barely  passable  from  a  siege  of  rain, 
snow  and  mildly  freezing  weather.  The  case  progresses 
slowly,  midnight  has  come  and  mth  its  advent  the 
patient  is  all  at  once  seized  with  puerperal  convulsions, 
and  the  nearest  telephone  is  three  miles  distant.  There 
is  but  one  thing  to  do,  namely,  dispatch  some  one  to  go 
to  this  telephone  as  quickly  as  poor  horseflesh  can  carry 


Various  Things  213 

one  over  the  terrible  roads,  and  when  one's  destination 
is  reached,  call  up  a  consultant  and  request  him  to  come 
as  speedily  as  possible  to  the  aid  of  the  physician  who 
is  meantime  "sweating  blood"  at  the  bedside  of  the  par- 
turient woman  who  is  scarcely  out  of  one  convulsion  till 
she  goes  into  another.  In  response  to  the  call  the  con- 
sultant wraps  himself  up  warmly,  gets  in  the  saddle  and 
starts  out  to  make  his  way  over  the  miles  and  miles  of 
roads  that  he  has  to  traverse  with  his  horse,  meanwhile 
now  on  top  of  the  imperfectly  frozen  ground  and  now 
breaking  through. 

Meantime  in  and  about  the  bedside  of  the  suffering 
woman  all  is  fear  and  anxiety.  In  one  of  the  harder 
paroxysms  she  has  bitten  her  lips  and  cheeks  and  now 
the  blood  is  flowing  from  her  mouth  adding  horror  to 
that  which  the  family  and  friends  have  already  experi- 
enced. The  physician  has  meantime  administered  bro- 
mide of  potassium  in  heroic  doses  and  when  possible  has 
had  the  patient  inhale  chloroform,  but  all  to  no  purpose 
for  as  said  before  the  patient  is  scarce  out  of  one  spasm 
till  she  passes  into  another.  As  the  hours  pass  it  is 
noticed  that  she  is  growing  weaker.  Her  pulse  is  much 
smaller  in  volume  and  at  last  is  not  much  more  than  a 
mere  flicker.  Her  features  assume  the  palor  of  death. 
Meantime  the  convulsions  while  much  less  violent  are  al- 
most continuous. 

A  little  later  the  countenance  that  was  convulsed  and 
horrid  to  look  upon  became  as  placid  as  marble  for  all 
was  now  stilled  in  death.  A  moment  before  the  patient 
had  taken  her  last  breath  the  consultant  came  to  the 
bedside,  just  arrived  after  as  hard  a  ride  and  as  diffi- 
cult a  trip  as  could  be  imagined  and  what  could  he  do  ?  If 
he  was  born  with  a  due  amount  of  the  milk  of  human 
kindness  in  his  heart  he  would  endeavor  to  *'edge  in" 
and  if  possible  work  his  way  just  a  little  under  the  great 
load    of    responsibility    his    brother    practitioner    had 


214  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

shouldered  and  if  possible  ease  this  up  a  little  by  kind 
and  sympathetic  words  accompanied  with  the  suggestion 
that  such  unpleasant  things  happen  about  so  often  and 
that  first  or  last  every  busy  man  will  run  up  against  a 
case  of  this  kind,  "Misery  loves  company"  and  even 
to  be  reminded  that  one's  harrowing  experience  had 
been  matched  by  that  of  another  mortal,  carries  at  least 
a  grain  of  consolation. 

In  this  instance  this  man  was  obliged  to  administer 
chloroform  without  professional  assistance.  Some  years 
ago  I  knew  of  a  doctor,  a  country  practitioner,  who 
practiced  in  an  adjoining  county  to  my  own,  Avho  had 
some  kind  of  an  emergency  case  at  a  farmhouse  and  so 
had  to  administer  an  anesthetic  unaided  by  another  phy- 
sician. Later  the  people  whom  he  had  served  brought  a 
suit  against  him  for  mal-practice,  but  when  first  one 
and  another  country  doctor  went  on  the  stand  and  testi- 
fied that  time  and  again  he  had  been  compelled  by 
circumstances  to  give  an  anesthetic  without  professional 
aid  the  jury  after  a  short  conference  found  for  the  de- 
fendant, and  for  their  pains,  the  prosecution  had  to  pay 
a  good  round  sum  in  the  way  of  court-costs,  besides  at- 
torney fees  and  other  expenses. 

Not  many  years  ago  in  this  county  one  of  our  ablest 
country  practitioners  was  haled  into  court  because  of 
an  alleged  injury  to  one  of  the  hip- joints  of  a  woman 
during  labor  complicated  with  convulsions.  Of  course 
the  indication  was  to  terminate  labor  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, and  it  is  surmisable  that  in  striving  to  accom- 
plish this,  prompt,  and  no  doubt  heroic,  means  were  re- 
sorted to,  but  fortunately  for  all  save  the  doctor,  the 
woman  made  a  good  recovery.  Not  content  with  this  the 
patient  and  their  friends  brought  suit  against  the  doctor, 
who  had  saved  her  life,  for  mal-practice.  After  a  long 
and  hardly  contested  trial  the  jury  found  for  the  de- 
fendant. Here  I  will  venture  to  repeat  a  question  asked 
before  in  these  pages : 


Various  Things  215 

Reader  have  you  ever  been  the  defendant  in  a  mal- 
practice suit  ?  If  you  have  you  have  been  made  to  realize 
how  close  one  can  go  to  the  gates  of  hell  and  yet  not  be 
pushed  entirely  through. 

The  medical  man  who  could  and  would  stoop  so  low 
as  to  aid  and  abet  in  one  of  these  suits  should  and  would 
for  ever  after  be  held  in  contempt  b}-  all  right  thinking 
physicians. 

Some  pages  back  I  started  out  to  speak  of  the  terrible 
responsibility  that  the  country  doctor  not  unfrequently 
finds  he  has  to  assume  with  no  help  other  than  his  own 
individual  shoulders.  Cases  not  so  immediately  "heart- 
straining"  as  the  puerperal-convulsions  patient  re- 
ferred to,  but  nevertheless  of  a  degree  of  gravity  suffi- 
cient to  produce  great  anxiety,  occur  with  comparative 
frequency.  Possibly  it  is  a  case  of  serious  injury  where 
seemingly  life  and  death  depend  on  prompt  and  proper 
actions.  Maybe  it  is  a  puzzling  diagnosis  where  a  right 
decision  is  urgently  called  for.  Maybe  it  is  a  case  in  a 
prominent  family  where  the  physician  feels  that  his  pro- 
fessional reputation  is  literall}^  at  stake.  In  all  these  in- 
stances and,  indeed,  a  thousand  and  one  more,  there  is 
not  time  nor  opportunity  to  call  in  helpful  counsel.  In 
a  city  or  larger  town  how  different !  A  call  over  the  tele- 
phone and  in  a  short  time  a  consultant  is  by  one  "s  side. 
A  consuultant,  moreover,  who  is  specially  trained  in  the 
line  in  which  the  case  in  hand  belongs. 

All  this  leads  me  to  say  that  the  country  doctor 
should  be  and,  indeed,  from  absolute  necessity  not  un- 
frequently, gets  to  be  an  "all-arounder"  in  practice: 
Surgeon,  Internist,  Obstetrician,  Gynecologist,  Eye 
and  Ear  Specialist,  Dentist,  Alienist,  Veterinary,  and 
more  if  possible.  And  what  is  more  strange,  the  wide- 
awake, hard-headed  country  doctor  often-times  becomes 
something  of  an  expert  in  most  of  these  branches. 

Talk  about  your  Great  City  Doctor !    When  it  comes 


216  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

to  facing  heart-straining  difficulties;  to  making  quick 
decisions ;  to  acting  promptly ;  to  getting-by  with  the  all 
but  insurmountable,  he  isn't  in  it  with  many  country 
practitioners.  Yet  how  many  of  these  last  who  answer 
every  call,  and  overcome  every  obstacle,  have  small  in- 
comes, live  humble  lives  and  finally  go  to  their  graves 
"unheralded  and  unsung." 

I  have  in  mind  one  such  who  spent  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  in  a  wealthy  community,  who  never  let  an  op- 
portunity go  by  to  relieve  suffering,  who  never  kept 
books,  who  never  presented  a  bill,  and  when  some  well- 
to-do  patron  would  come  in  and  ask  how  much  he  owed, 
would  be  answered  with  the  words,  "0  give  me  ten  dol- 
lars, ' '  this  when  fifty  or  more  had  been  fully  earned.  I 
am  sure  the  reader  will  agree  with  me  that  this  man  did 
a  great  injustice  to  himself  and  family  alike,  particularly 
when  it  is  stated  that  he  never  had  a  home  of  his  own. 
Had  he  been  thrifty  and  charged  and  collected  what  was 
due  he  could  on  the  credit  side  of  his  ledger  every  year 
have  had  enough  to  pay  for  a  neat  cottage  in  that  day 
and  place  of  cheap  homes.  I  have  known  more  than  one 
country  doctor  to  mistreat  himself  and  family  as  did  this 
one.  On  the  contrary  I  have  known  two  or  three  coun- 
try practitioners  who  never  had  charity  patients  (nor 
dead-beat  cases)  for  the  reason  that  they  had  the  faculty 
of  "getting  blood  out  of  a  turnip,"  that  is  to  say  they 
had  a  genius  for  collecting  what  most  people  would  de- 
nominate worthless  bills. 

I  had  one  professional  acquaintance  who  certainly  be- 
longed in  the  last-named  class  and  who  seemingly  had 
little  thought  or  care  for  his  cases  beyond  the  money  he 
would  derive  from  treating  them.  The  community  in 
which  this  man  lived  were  wont  to  criticize  him  without 
stint  for  his  very  evident  selfishness  in  all  that  he  did 
professionally,  and  yet  when  some  years  later  he  decided 
to  remove  to  another  locality  the  Masons  and  other  or- 


Various  Things  217 

ganizations  to  which  he  belonged,  went  to  no  end  of 
trouble  to  "speed  the  parting  guest"  with  demonstra- 
tions of  '  *  esteem  and  respect. ' '  Some  years  before  a  col- 
league of  this  man's  of  precisely  opposite  type  and  who 
was  often  spoken  of  as  one  who  had  "heart"  in  aU  he 
did  for  his  patients,  (and  he  was  devoted  to  them), 
nevertheless  when  some  years  later  he  moved  to  another 
State,  not  a  move  was  made  by  any  one  in  the  village  to 
show  the  community 's  appreciation  of  what  he  had  done 
and  sacrificed  for  its  sick.  And  after  all  of  his  years  of 
hard  labor  he  went  away  empty  handed.  If  he  had  his 
reward  it  was  of  the  kind  that  one  carries  in  one 's  bosom. 

Regarding  the  altruistic  side  of  medicine  I  knew  of 
the  following :  a  certain  practitioner  was  many  years 
ago  called  to  see  a  man  who  in  the  late  summer  season 
had  been  working  with  a  threshing  machine  and  from 
either  the  food  he  had  eaten  or  the  water  he  had  used  to 
slake  his  thirst  had  become  infected  with  typhoid.  This 
man  had  a  wife  and  three  children,  a  boy  aged  nine,  a 
girl  aged  eleven  and  a  second  thirteen  years  of  age.  The 
family  lived  in  an  old  house  of  four  rooms  and  their 
means  were  limited. 

In  that  day  disease  prevention  in  this  country  was 
just  beginning  to  be  put  in  practice  and  as  a  result  most 
infectious  ailments  were  not  arrested  at  the  first  out- 
break as  is  often  the  case  today.  Furthermore,  the 
trained  nurse  had  not  yet  appeared  save  in  the  larger 
cities.  But  had  a  nurse  been  obtainable  the  sick  man's 
circumstances  would  have  forbid  the  expense  her  em- 
ployment would  have  necessitated.  As  matters  fell  out 
the  man's  wife  had  to  fill  the  three-fold  role  of  house- 
keeper, cook  and  nurse.  In  due  time  the  patient  began 
to  improve  but  before  he  was  able  to  leave  his  bed  for 
only  part  of  the  time  his  three  children  were  stricken 
with  typhoid.  The  heroic  mother  rose  to  the  occasion, 
nursed  the  patients,  kept  the  house  and  cooked  the  food, 


218  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

and  how  she  managed  to  do  this  clear  through  was  the 
wonder  of  everyone  cognizant  of  the  circumstances.  She 
was  a  little  woman  and  so  slight  in  stature  that  she 
would  have  been  the  last  one  picked  out  for  what  she 
stood  up  under  till  the  end.  The  old  adage  tells  us  that, 
"the  back  is  always  braced  to  the  burden."  .  In  this 
little  woman's  case  the  burden  turned  out  a  terrible 
one  for  no  sooner  had  her  three  children  passed  well 
into  the  second  stage  of  typhoid  than  the  husband  and 
father  took  a  relapse,  went  from  bad  to  worse  till  death 
came  and  took  him  from  a  family  that  stood  in  much 
need  of  his  care  and  help. 

Finally  at  the  end  of  a  long,  tedious  siege  the  three 
children  slowly  began  to  recover.  Meantime  a  friend 
of  the  family  collected  one  thousand  dollars  on  an  in- 
surance polic}^  the  deceased  father  and  husband  had  car- 
ried on  his  life,  and  before  turning  this  over  to  the  fam- 
ily went  to  the  office  and  asked  the  physician  who  had 
cared  for  the  stricken  ones  the  amount  of  his  bill.  This 
was  looked  up  and  when  the  amount  was  offered  from 
the  insurance  money,  the  physician  said,  "Wait  a  mo- 
ment. What  has  the  family  besides  this  insurance 
money  ? ' 

"Nothing,"  was  the  reply. 

"Well,'  said  the  physician,  "if  that  is  the  case  I  will 
take  nothing  at  this  time. ' 

"Why,"  said  the  man,  "you  had  better  collect  your 
bill  out  of  this  money,  you  will  in  all  probability  never 
have  the  chance  again." 

"Chance  or  no  chance,'  replied  the  doctor,  "I  would 
be  in  effect  taking  the  bread  out  of  the  mouths  of  those 
poor  sick  children  and  I  simply  won't  do  it." 

Time  went  by,  the  sick  children  all  recovered  their 
wonted  health,  and  fortunately  for  all  concerned  a  de- 
gree of  good  luck  came  to  them  that  enabled  them  to 
pay  their  doctor  bill,  though  my  generously-disposed 
medical  friend  would  not  accept  this  till  he  had  satisfied 


Various  Things  219 

himself  that  the  erstwhile  stricken  family  could  afford  it. 
One  of  the  most  unpromising  cases  I  ever  had  was  a 
case  of  puerperal  sepsis  that  set  in  about  a  week  after 
confinement  and  that  was  under  the  care  of  another  phy- 
sician till  a  day  or  two  after  the  occurrence  of  the  com- 
plications. When  first  called  to  this  case  it  seemed  to  me 
I  had  never  seen  everything  connected  with  a  case  so 
thoroughly  discouraging.  The  patient  was  in  an  abso- 
lutely filthy  condition.  Her  linen  was  dirty,  and  the 
few  scanty  furnishings  of  the  bed  she  was  lying  on  were 
as  filthj^  as  can  be  imagined.  The  house  in  which  she 
was  lying  consisted  of  two  small  rooms,  one  in  front  and 
one  in  the  rear.  The  main  room  was  made  of  "up-and- 
down  ' '  rough  boards  and  back  of  this  was  the  shed-room, 
or  '* lean-to,'  that  was  used  as  a  kit<3hen.  The  furnish- 
ings of  the  house  were  mean  and  bare  to  the  last  degree. 
The  weather  was  cold  and  about  the  room  were  a  num- 
ber of  dirty  children  ranging  from  a  two-year  old  on  the 
floor  to  a  slatternly  girl  of  sixteen.  The  head  of  the 
family,  a  man  we  will  call  Smith,  was  unique  in  appear- 
ance, in  manner  and  in  character.  He  was  tall  and 
slender,  had  a  long,  thin  face,  very  dark  complexion, 
and  wore  a  short  thin  beard  that  was  always  tobacco- 
stained.  Except  in  cold  weather  he  was  always  in  his 
shirt-sleeves,  and  generally  his  trousers  were  held  up  by 
one  suspender  made  of  bed-ticking  in  which  the  stripes 
were  almost  obliterated  by  dirt.  He  was  abrupt  in  man- 
ner, very  decided  in  his  opinions,  and  very  tenacious  of 
these  when  once  formed. 

When  the  patient  had  been  in  my  charge  for  two 
or  three  days  I  asked  for  counsel.  My  request  wa.s 
granted  and  a  medical  man  noted  for  his  stylish  dress 
and  general  handsome  appearance  was  called  in.  We 
went  over  the  case  carefully  and  agreed  upon  a  line  of 
treatment  and  after  going  to  the  bedside  of  the  patient 
and  saying  some  cheery  words  for  her  benefit  and  a  word 
or  two  of  explanation  to  some  members  of  the  family. 


220         Sixty  Years  in  the  ^Medical  Haeness 

passed  out  of  the  door  To  take  our  departure.  Before 
reaching  the  gate  we  were  accosted  by  Smith  who  ad- 
dressing the  consultant,  said.  "Whats  the  damage.  Doc? 
Don't  knows  I  got  "nuff  change  bout  me  today  t-o  settle, 
but  mayby  I  cin  manige  to  skeer  up  the  stuff. 

The  consultant,  who  was  a  very  dignified  man  and 
not  used  to  being  familiarly  called  "doc,"  said  in  reply 
and  in  measured  tones,  '"My  fee.  sir.  is  twenty  dollars." 
With  his  left  hand  Smith  gave  his  trousers  an  extra 
lurch  and  ran  his  other  hand  in  one  of  his  pockets  and 
pulled  out  what  proved  to  be  a  roll  of  bills  as  big  as  a 
man's  arm.  Spreading  these  out  across  the  palm  of  his 
left  hand  he  turned  over  a  number  of  ten.  five,  and  hun- 
dred dollar  bills  before  the  twenty-dollar  note  was 
found.  Seizing  this  between  the  thumb  and  finger  of 
his  right  hand  he  held  it  out  to  the  sirrprised  man  of 
medicine  saWng  at  the  same  time.  "Guess  I  cin  settle 
with  you  after  all,  doc." 

We  got  in  the  buggy  and  had  driven  quite  a  little 
distance  before  anything  was  said,  when  the  silence 
was  broken  by  the  doctor  at  my  side,  saying  much  as  if 
he  was  talking  to  himself,  ""Who  would  have  thought 
it  ? " 

'  •  Thought  what  ?  "  I  asked. 

•"Why,  who  would  have  ever  thought  that  that  rag-a- 
muffin  could  have  had  so  much  money!" 

Returning  to  my  patient.  let  it  be  said  that  a  few 
days  later  a  large  abscess  pointed  in  the  left  illiac  fossa 
and  when  this  was  opened  nearly  a  pint  of  pus  escaped. 
Finally,  notwithstanding  the  many  impromising  circum- 
stances connected  with  the  case,  the  patient  made  a  good 
recovery. 

Doctors  are  sometimes  made  the  recipients  of  re- 
markable medical  information.  Country  doctors,  when 
away  from  home  are  most  likely  to  be  .such  recipients  for 
the  reason  that  generally  being  plainly  dressed  they  are 


Various  Things  221 

frequently  mistaken  for  members  of  some  other  vocation. 
I  was  once  making  a  considerable  journey  on  the  cars 
and  after  I  had  proceeded  some  distance  on  my  way  a 
shabbily  dressed  old  man  took  his  seat  beside  me  and 
very  soon  manifested  a  desire  to  be  sociable  and  talka- 
tive. From  what  he  said  I  learned  that  he  had  spent 
his  life  as  a  small  farmer  and  after  enlightening  me  for 
quite  a  while  about  crops  and  soils  the  conversation  was 
suddenly  turned  in  another  channel  by  a  man,  that  with 
the  aid  of  a  cane,  came  limping  in  from  the  platform 
of  a  little  station  where  the  train  made  a  short  stop. 

"I  'low  that  feller's  got  the  rumatiz, '  said  my  com- 
panion. "I  used  to  have  purty  hard  twinges  of  that 
complaint  myself  'afore  I  found  out  how  to  git  shet  of 
it." 

And  then  eyeing  me  sharply  for  a  moment  and  imag- 
ining he  saw  a  look  of  inquiry  on  my  face  he  put  one 
hand  in  his  pantaloons  pocket  and  pulled  out  a  little, 
dried-up,  scaly,  irregular-shaped  substance  about  the 
size  of  a  walnut,  and  holding  it  up  before  me  said : 

' '  Stranger,  do  you  know  what  that  is  ?  " 

I  took  it  in  my  hand  and  noticed  that  it  was  hard, 
dry  and  shriveled,  consequenth^  several  things  suggested 
themselves,  but  nothing  very  definitely,  so  I  frankly  ad- 
mitted that  the  specimen  was  one  that  had  a  place  with- 
out the  bounds  of  my  knowledge. 

My  companion  promptly  came  to  my  relief  by  say- 
ing, "Why,  stranger,  that  air  is  jist  a  common  tater 
that's  got  dry  'n  hard  by  me  carrin'  it  so  long  in  my 
briches  pawket.  A  year  ago  la.st  March  I  was  tuk  with 
rumatiz  pains  in  the  small  of  my  back,  in  my  shanks, 
and  in  the  cuplins  of  both  my  legs  and  after  tryin '  most 
ev'rything  sich  as  rubbin'  camfire,  hartshorn  and  the 
like  an  old  woman  who  was  mighty  handy  in  sickness 
told  me  to  git  jist  a  common  tater  and  carry  it  in  my 
briches  pawket.  'Peared  to  me  thar  was  no  harm  in 
tryin '  such  a  simple  thing,  so  I  got  hold  of  a  tater  'bout 


222  Sixty  Years  in  the  MediCxVL  Harness 

the  size  of  a  pullet's  egg,  put  it  in  my  pawket  and  it's 
ben  thar  every  sence.  Wouldn  't  take  ten  dollars  fur  that 
tater,  Stranger,  'kase  it  hadn't  ben  thar  a  month  tel  my 
rumatze  was  plum  clean  gawn. ' ' 

Throughout  the  old  man's  rehearsal  I  listened  at- 
tentively and  this  must  have  pleased  him  greatly  for 
when  the  train  whistled  for  the  station  where  he  was  to 
get  and  he  rose  in  his  seat  preparatory  to  leaving  the  car, 
he  turned  to  me  and  said : 

' '  Stranger,  what  mought  be  your  name  ? ' ' 

And  when  I  had  told  him  he  added : 

' '  Skaggs  is  mine,  and  as  I  jist  had  some  picturs  tuck 
I  b  'leve  I  '11  leave  one  'long  o '  you. ' ' 

And  with  that  he  handed  me  a  photograph  that  I  at 
once  recognized  to  be  a  very  good  likeness  of  himself. 

Upon  one  occasion  when  I  was  returning  from  the 
West  I  took  a  train  at  Kansas  City  and  in  the  same  seat 
with  me  was  a  man  who  was  quite  inclined  to  be  talk- 
ative. After  some  conversation  he  began  to  discuss  ty- 
phoid fever. 

"Seen  lots  of  typhoid  fever,"  he  began.  "It's 
mighty  cur 'us  sickness.  When  you  got  it  the  disease 
plugs  up  the  little  nerves  that  goes  to  the  bowels  and 
you  got  to  git  hold  of  sumpthin'  that  '11  clar  um  out  or 
you  are  a  goner.  I  had  it  and  they  all  thought  I  'd  die 
shore,  and  I  guess  I  wouldn  had'nt  it  ben  for  a  acci- 
dent. 

"One  day  when  they'd  all  gone  out'n  the  rum  whar 
I  was  sick  I  all  of  sudden  got  awful  thirsty  for  a  drink, 
jist  pear'd  like  I  couldn't  wait  another  minit  my  mouth 
and  tongue  was  that  dry  and  parched.  In  the  corner 
of  the  rum  whar  I  was  sick  thar  was  a  bucket  of  water 
settin'  on  a  shelf  and  a  tin  hangin'  on  a  nail  by  it.  It 
look  'd  mighty  temptin '  when  I  was  famishin '  fur  water. 
So  I  up  and  made  fur  it.  But  I  was  that  weak  that 
I  staggered  and  fell  jist  before  I  got  to  the  water  and 
in  throwin '  out  my  hand  to  ketch  on  to  sumpun '  to  hold 


Various  Things  223 

on  to,  got  hold  of  the  bucket,  turned  it  over  and  I  was 
jist  as  wet  as  if  I  had  jumped  in  the  crick.  The  noise 
I  made  in  fallin'  brought  the  folks  in  and  they  was 
skeer'd  wus'n  me. 

"Well,  they  tuck  hold  of  me  and  carried  me  back 
in  bed,  got  dry  things  on  me  and  next  day  I  was  better 
and  followin'  that  got  well  right  along.  Now  my  notion 
is  that  fallin'  down  and  havin'  that  water  spillin'  all 
over  me  loos'd  the  plugs  in  all  the  little  nerves  where 
the  sickness  had  settled,  and  that  goes  to  the  bowels,  so 
that  after  that  the  nerves  was  holler  clean  through  same 
as  afore  I  was  sick,  and  resultin'  from  the  accident  I 
got  well." 

Another  time  I  boarded  a  train  and  in  the  car  which 
I  had  entered  found  all  the  seats  occupied  but  one  and 
in  the  end  of  this,  next  the  window,  sat  an  old  lady. 
For  quite  a  time  my  fellow-passenger  said  nothing,  but 
by  and  by  when  the  train  had  crossed  a  bridge  that 
spanned  a  creek  and  on  the  further  side  was  passing  over 
a  considerable  bottom  land,  the  old  lady,  whose  atten- 
tion had  for  sometime  been  fixed  on  something  she  saw 
through  the  car  window,  exclaimed,  ' '  Sakes  alive !  Who 
ever  see  'd  so  much  boneset !  Whole  acres  goin '  to  waste ! 
If  I  only  lived  handy  I  'd  gether  whole  armsf  ul  of  it ! " 

Then  turning  to  me  she  said,  "Boneset  11  k'yore 
more  complaints  than  eny  medisun  I  know  'bout.  And 
the  Good  Lord  knows  ef  I  haint  had  sickness  plenty  to 
make  me  know  'bout  a  sight  of  medisuns.  But  you  got 
to  be  mighty  keerf ul  in  getherin '  boneset  'nd  that 's  why 
I  nearly  alers  pick  mine  myself.  I  count  on  alers  havin' 
three  bunches  of  boneset  hangin '  in  the  loft.  One  bunch 
with  the  leaves  turned  up  when  the  getherin 's  done, 
that's  good  fur  uppish  like  complaints,  sich  as  coughs, 
pukin '  and  the  like.  Another  bunch  that  has  the  leaves 
turned  down  in  pickin',  that's  good  for  bowel  com- 
plaints, flux,  gravel  and  sich  things  as  is  downish  like. 


224         Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Then  another  bunch  has  the  leaves  straight  out  jist  as 
they  grow,  and  a  tea  made  out  of  this  same  as  is  the 
case  in  the  other  bunches,  '11  start  the  sweat  straight 
out  through  the  skin  in  no  time. ' ' 

Adolph  Plogue  and  Gotalope  Stine  were  two  of  my 
German  patrons  who  always  reminded  me  of  one  an- 
other, not  because  they  were  alike,  but  because  they  were 
so  different.  Gotalope  Stine  was  polite,  good  humored, 
sunny  and  always  carried  on  his  face  a  broad  smile  that 
made  one  think  of  the  new  moon.  To  the  judgment  of 
his  wife  Katherine  he  nearly  always  seemed  to  defer, 
nevertheless,  he  was  as  far  as  possible  from  being  a  hen- 
pecked husband  as  his  faithful  frau  was  as  good  natured 
and  as  obliging  as  himself.  Something  less  than  a  half 
dozen  little  Gotalopes  and  as  many  young  Katherines 
(all  of  whom  came  by  their  sunny  natures  honestly) 
kept  the  Stine  household  from  settling  down  into  a  state 
of  dullness  and  hopeless  insipidity. 

With  his  cheery  nature  it  was  only  natural  that  Got- 
alope Stine  should  look  on  the  bright  side  of  life,  and 
see  through  every  cloud  to  the  silver  lining  "beneath." 
Many  were  the  times  I  tried  to  tempt  him  into  talking 
discouragingly  by  such  remark  as  "Gotalope,  the  roads 
are  very  muddy. ' ' 

"Yaas, "  he  would  reply,  "but  da  sun  cooms  queck 
out  and  da  vinds  plows  soon  'vill  be  try  roats,  alretty. ' ' 

Another  time  I  would  say,  ' '  Gotalope  the  oats  crop  is 
poor  this  year. ' ' 

"Yaas,"  he  would  answer,  "but  dot's  ol  right,  next 
j'-ear  pring,  goot,  pig  crop,  olretty. " 

Upon  another  occasion  I  would  remark,  "Gotalope 
they  tell  me  the  corn  crop  will  be  rather  short. ' ' 

"Who  say'd  dot?  Mine  is  goot.  Not  pig  on  da  cop, 
but  'vays  havy  'ven  it  is  shaled  out,  olretty. ' ' 

On  the  other  hand  with  Adolph  Ploque  the  world 
was  always  awry  and  nothing  went  right.     And  pre- 


Various  Things  225 

cisely  as  I  had  tried  to  tempt  Gotalope  into  talking  of  his 
prospects  discouragingly,  I  endeavored  to  beguile 
Adolph  into  speaking  hopefully  of  the  future,  but  my 
attempts  in  the  latter  case  failed  as  signally  as  they  had 
in  the  former. 

Meeting  my  Grerman  pessimist  on  some  perfect  day 
in  May,  when  the  air  was  soft  and  balmy  and  the  sun- 
shine mild  and  life-giving  I  would  say,  "Adolph,  this  is 
a  nice  day. ' ' 

"Yaas,"  he  would  reply,  "but  eet's  a  vedder  breed- 
er.   Purty  quek  've  get  storm,  olretty. ' ' 

As  the  season  advanced  a  little,  meeting  him  I  would 
say,  ' '  Adolph,  these  fine  rains  are  good  for  grass. ' 

' '  Yaas,  but  de  grass  is  ol  Vashy — too  mooch  'vet  'vet- 
ter." 

With  the  advent  of  the  fall  months,  meeting  him,  I 
said,  "Adolph,  I  was  passing  your  place  the  other  day 
and  noticed  your  apple  trees  were  bending  over  and  al- 
most breaking  down  they  were  so  full. ' ' 

"Yaas,  but  dame  a-puls  is  ol  Vormy,  de  pig  vuns, 
und  de  lettel  uns  is  ol  nawty  and  got  bat  shapes. ' ' 

Adolph  Plogue  had  a  large  frame,  big  hands  and 
feet,  rough  features,  and  a  loud  rasping  voice  and  a 
brusk,  gruff  manner.  His  wife  was  a  slender,  delicate, 
black-eyed,  soft-voiced  American  woman.  As  man  and 
wife  this  couple  were  as  poorly  mated  as  a  team  made 
up  of  a  heavy  Clydesdale,  draft-horse  by  the  side  of  a 
trim,  quick-stepping  roadster.  They  were  childless  and 
seemed  to  live  a  veritable  cat  and  dog 's  life  and  the  do- 
mestic jars  they  had  were  almost  innumerable. 

Not  infrequently  Adolph  unloaded  his  family  trou- 
bles on  me  and  in  so  doing  would  at  times  wax  eloquent. 
One  day  he  came  in  my  oflfiice  bringing  a  note  from  Mrs. 
Plogue  describing  her  condition  that  for  some  little  time 
had  been  that  of  indisposition.  When  I  read  the  note 
and  gave  Adolph  such  medicines  as  the  patient  needed 


226  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

the  long-suffering  (from  his  point  of  view)  husband 
broke  loose. 

"Tauchter!  I  'vas  'von  tame  fool  'ven  I  gits  dot 
'voman.  01  de  tim's  she  mecks  troobles  mit  me.  She 
schnaps  at  me  mit  her  plaek  ise,  she  shake  her  haines 
clos'  py  mit  mine  face,  she  col  me  old  tuch  tivel,  und  ol 
de  tim  's  I  yust  say  'd  nuttings. 

"Ven  she's  veil  she  mecks  troobles  mit  her  oxpense, 
mit  her  new  ponnets,  mit  her  rippins  and  mit  her  new 
draases,  und  ol  de  tim's  I  say'd  nuttings,  ust  pay'd  de 
pills,  dot's  ol. 

"Ven  she's  seek  she  mechs  troobles  mit  her  mout' 
mit  her  'vurds  und  mit  her  eyes.  Mine  Himely  Tauch- 
ter! I  shust  vish  you  hear  some  dinks  dot  'voman 
say'd.  She  ust  tauch  und  taueh,  und  old  de  tim  I  yoost 
say'd  nuttings.  I  yoost  dinks  mit  her  tauch  dot  'voman 
drif  me  cressy,  olretty.  Mine  Got  Tauchter  dot  time 
'ven  I  man^s  dot  'voman  I  'vas  'von  tame  fool,  olretty." 


XIX 

THE  ALCOHOL  PROBLEM 

In  vain  I  trusted  that  the  fioiving  bowl 
Would  banish  sorrow  and  enlarge  the   soul. 

Prior. 

MY  life  has  been  a  long  one,  so  long,  indeed,  that  I  am 
now  in  the  eighties.  But  long  as  I  have  lived  my 
memory  does  not  reach  back  to  a  period  when  the  alco- 
hol problem  was  not  one  that  demanded  serious  consid- 
eration. In  the  fifties,  just  previous  to  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War,  whiskey  was  sold  in  the  village  and  coun- 
try stores  as  freely  as  molasses,  and  nothing  was  thought 
of  buying  it  by  the  jug,  taking  it  home  and  using  it 
when  it  was  thought  to  be  needed.  Notwithstanding  the 
ease  with  which  this  intoxicant  could  be  procured,  most 
men  continued  relatively  temperate  in  its  use.  More- 
over, there  were  a  good  many  total  abstainers.  Others 
at  times  would  put  a  tablespoonful  in  a  cup,  add  a  little 
sugar  and  at  breakfast-time,  take  it  ' '  for  their  stomach 's 
sake."  Yet  others  in  the  spring  when  it  was  thought, 
that  for  some  reason,  the  blood  was  impure  and  needed 
' '  cleansing ' '  would  put  tansy,  or  some  other,  preferably, 
bitter  herb  in  a  little  whiskej^  and  take  this  at  breakfast 
time. 

However,  anything  that  brought  a  number  of  men 
together  as  a  sale,  election,  etc.,  was  almost  sure  before 
the  day  was  over,  to  produce  a  crop  of  drunken  men  and 
one  or  more  fist-fights.  Moreover,  there  was  not  a  com- 
munity that  had  not  one  or  more  "drunken  sots."  These 
were  invariably  looked  down  on  for  in  that  day  every 
one  believed  that  there  was  no  man  who  could  not  resist 
drink  if  he  only  would.    In  this  era  most  well  informed 

227 


228  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

people  realize  that  with  certain  persons  the  lure  of 
strong  drink  is  next  to  irresistible  and  individuals  of 
this  class  will  indulge  let  follow  what  may. 

With  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  in  1861  came 
a  wave  of  dissipation  that  followed  through  that  strug- 
gle and  continued  for  long  years  after.  During  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  war  all  energies  were  bent  towards  the 
preservation  of  the  Union  and  little  thought  was  given 
to  such  minor  matters  as  drunkenness  and  equivalent 
forms  of  dissipation. 

While  it  would  be  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  in  that 
period  everyone  drank,  yet  the  drink-habit  was  widely 
prevalent,  particularly  was  this  the  case  in  the  army. 
So  much  the  case  indeed,  that  men,  who  while  at  home 
had  been  exemplary  in  their  habits,  did  not  hesitate  to 
indulge  after  enlistment  and  not  unfrequently  to  the 
point  of  intoxication.  In  this  class  were  not  a  few  offi- 
cers ;  with  examples  such  as  these,  what  wonder  is  it  that 
many  youthful  soldiers  should  form  habits  that  in  all 
probability  wrecked  their  future  lives. 

When  a  little  past  my  eighteenth  year  I  enlisted  as 
a  private  soldier  and  for  a  few  times  responded  to  the 
invitation  of  officers,  or  some  more  mature  than  myself, 
to  drink  at  some  bar.  Some  little  time  after  I  had 
passed  my  nineteenth  year,  however,  I  one  day  reasoned 
with  myself  somewhat  in  this  wise,  "You  care  so  little 
for  drink  that  when  responding  to  an  invitation  to  in- 
dulge, you  simply  touch  the  glass  to  your  lips  and  set 
it  down  with  practically  all  of  its  contents  remaining 
untouched.  You  accept  the  invitation  to  ^have  some- 
thing' because  you  have  not  got  the  manliness  to  decline 
by  saying,  'No,  I  thank  you.'  "  Well  the  result  was  that 
I  then  and  there  became  a  total  abstainer.  This  occurred 
sixty-two  j^ears  ago  and  I  have  ever  since  lived  up  to  it. 
However,  I  never  was  a  third-party  prohibitionist,  but, 
nevertheless  have  always  opposed  the  saloon. 


The  Alcohol  Problem  229 

In  1873  while  a  resident  of  Tolono,  111.,  that  village 
voted  "dry'  and  I  was  elected  a  member  of  its  Board 
of  Trustees.  Previous  to  this  Tolono  had  been  an  ex- 
ceptionally "wet"  town  and  had  supported  more  sa- 
loons than  should  normally  have  fallen  to  its  share. 

For  a  time  after  our  "drj^"  Board  of  Trustees  came 
in  office  the  village  was  fully  as  ' '  wet ' '  as  before  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  no  licenses  had  been  issued.  We  adopted 
the  policy  of  ' '  giving  the  saloon  rope, ' '  that  is  of  letting 
them  sell  as  freely  as  they  might. 

The  law  provided  that  for  selling  liquors  without  li- 
cense the  offender  in  addition  to  paying  a  substantial 
money  fine  had  to  go  to  jail  for  a  stated  period.  Very 
naturally  after  the  saloon  keepers  had  been  running 
wide-open  for  a  time  there  was  little  difficulty  in  secur- 
ing evidence  against  them.  This  we  did  and  when  they 
were  brought  to  trial  everything  went  against  them  and 
the  judge  enforced  the  penalties,  to  the  terror  of  other 
would-be  law  violators,  but  much  to  the  gratification  of 
our  better  class  of  citizens.  After  this  for  a  long  season, 
Tolono  was  a  law-abiding  town  and  although  later  at  in- 
tervals it  sometimes  voted  license,  yet  it  was  ever  after 
a  much  more  desirable  community  in  which  to  live.  It 
fell  to  my  fortune  to  take  the  lead  in  prosecuting  these 
illegal  liquor  vendors,  and  as  in  that  day  people  of  this 
class  were  not  unfrequently  vicious  and  vindictive,  I  no 
doubt  incurred  a  very  tangible  danger  of  injury  to  my 
person  or  property.  Of  this  spirit  we  a  little  later  reaped 
some  experience. 

That  we  might  be  measurably  independent,  the  anti- 
saloon  people  bought  at  a  very  reasonable  price  an  old 
church  which  had  been  discarded  by  its  former  congre- 
gation, fitted  it  up,  christened  it  "The  Tabernacle"  and 
held  their  meetings  there.  We  thought  we  had  cause  to 
congratulate  ourselves  on  our  purchase  and  were  begin- 
ning to  enjoy  our  new  home  when  lo  and  behold !  one 


230  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

dark  night  the  heavens  all  about  were  lighted  up  and 
upon  looking  out  of  our  windows  what  should  we  see, 
but  our  much  prized  "Tabernacle"  in  flames!  As  we 
had  no  fire  department  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  see 
it  reduced  to  ashes.  We  employed  detectives  to  ferret 
out,  if  possible,  and  run  down  the  ones  who  were  guilty 
of  starting  the  fire,  but  without  avail.  No  one  doubted 
that  the  whiskey  interests  did  the  job,  but  who  it  was 
remains  an  unanswered  question  to  this  day. 

To  what  indecencies  drunkenness  will  degrade  an 
otherwise  worthy  man  the  following  will  show.  After 
the  loss  of  our  ' '  Tabernacle ' '  we  returned  to  the  custom 
of  holding  our  meetings  in  some  one  of  the  village 
churches.  At  one  such  gathering  one  evening  I  was 
called  to  the  chair  and  after  the  meeting  had  been  in 
progress  one  of  our  citizens  who  at  times  drank  to  intox- 
ication came  in  and  found  a  seat  with  no  one  near  him. 
After  a  time  I  heard  a  noise  in  his  near  vicinity  which 
convinced  me  that  he  was  even  more  under  the  influence 
of  liquor  than  was  supposed.  Later  when  the  meeting 
was  over  it  was  found  that  this  drunken  man  had  uri- 
nated on  the  church  floor,  and  this  at  a  time  when  ladies 
were  a  part  of  the  audience.  Two  or  three  days  later 
this  man  with  the  word  "shame"  written  all  over  his 
face  came  to  me  and  apologized  as  humbly  and  contritely 
as  could  have  been  wished  for. 

He  was  well  to  do,  had  grown  children,  and  when 
away  from  drink  was  a  likable  man  in  every  way.  Cases 
such  as  this  leads  one  to  ask,  ' '  What  cannot  strong  drink 
do?  What  may  it  not  do?  Indeed,  what  has  it  not 
done  ? ' ' 

Little  wonder  that  a  long-suffering  people  have  at 
last  risen  in  their  might  and  said  to  "booze"  in  all  its 
forms  and  guises,  ' '  Get  thee  behind  me  Satan  ! ' ' 

Elsewhere  I  have  told  how  a  drunken  physician  by 
his  irresponsible  statements  induced  a  former  patient  of 


The  Alcohol  Problem  231 

mine  to  bring  a  mal-practice  suit  against  nie  which  al- 
though it  never  came  to  trial,  yet  made  me  no  little  ex- 
pense and  a  world  of  worry  and  annoyance 

About  twenty  years  after  my  experience  with  the  To- 
lono  saloon  keepers  I  was  a  resident  of  Champaign  and 
a  newly-appointed  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Board 
of  Health.  At  our  first  meeting  which  was  convened  for 
organization  Dr.  B.  was  elected  President  of  the  Board. 
A  little  later  occurred  our  first  regular  meeting  for  the 
transaction  of  current  business.  Dr.  B.,  president-elect, 
came  to  the  chair  reeling  drunk.  At  the  next  meeting 
his  condition  was  likewise.  And  strange  to  say  at  sub- 
stantially all  the  meetings  during  his  occupancy  of  the 
chair  he  was  more  or  less  (too  often  more)  under  the  in- 
fluence of  intoxicants. 

Meanwhile,  I  was  permitted  to  see  enough  of  Dr.  B. 
in  the  very  few  occasions  when  he  was  himself  to  re- 
alize that  he  was  really  a  gentleman  and  well-informed 
in  his  profession. 

This  experience  with  him  caused  me  to  reflect  and 
say  to  myself,  ' '  If  drink  will  so  degrade  a  man  with  the 
admirable  qualities  that  Dr.  B.  possesses  as  to  cause  him 
to  come  to  the  honorable  place  he  has  been  elected  to  in 
a  beastly  condition,  it  (drink)  is  none  else  than  dam- 
nable and  should  be  condemned  by  all  right-thinking 
people." 

But  while  the  ease  of  Dr.  B.  brought  the  drink-evil 
nearer  to  me  than  it  ever  had  been  before  it  was  by  no 
means  the  solitary  instance  that  had  come  under  my  ob- 
servation. One  among  a  number  of  these  was  that  of 
an  able  young  lawyer  who  had  achieved  a  high  place  at 
the  bar,  had  a  good  home,  a  nice  wife  and  two  promising 
boys.  But  sad  to  say  all  at  once  he  came  to  be  a  slave  to 
the  drink  habit  and  down,  down  he  went.  This  in  spite 
of  his  family,  in  spite  of  his  professional  standing,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  his  father  was  a  Federal  Judge  and 


232  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

his  standing  the  very  highest  in  judicial  circles,  indeed, 
in  spite  of  almost  every  conceivable  thing  this  able  and 
successful  young  attorney  went  to  the  devil  and  that  on 
a  down-hill  grade  that  led  directly  through  a  saloon. 
Another  able  attorney  I  knew  was  a  gifted  orator,  was 
well  started  on  a  promising  political  career,  so  promis- 
ing indeed,  that  the  Grovernor  's  Mansion  or  a  seat  in  the 
United  States  Senate  was  not  impossible  of  attainment, 
but  drink  lured  him  and  then  led  down,  down  until  the 
grave  opened  and  swallowed  him  while  he  was  yet  in 
the  prime  of  young  manhood. 

All  this  so  impressed  me  that  I  began  the  study  of 
the  drink-problem  from  the  standpoint  of  the  physician 
and  as  the  way  opened  I  read  papers  before  medical  so- 
cieties and  made  talks  before  popular  audiences  iji 
which  I  endeavored  to  show  the  great  evil  that  the  li- 
censed saloon  was  working.  Finally,  under  the  title, 
"The  Alcohol  Problem  and  the  Health  Conscience,"  I 
read  a  paper  before  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society 
that  attracted  a  good  deal  of  interest  when  it  was  read 
and  was  frequently  referred  to  and  quoted  from  after- 
wards. 1  had  some  reprints  made  and  later  the  same 
mail  brought  requests  for  copies,  one  from  far-west 
Kansas  City  and  the  other  from  far-east  Boston.  All 
this  time,  however,  I  had  the  wisdom  never  on  the  street 
or  other  public  place  to  be  drawn  into  an  argument  on 
this  topic.  This  course  I  think  I  was  led  to  adopt  from 
seeing  how  two  or  three  of  my  over-zealous  prohibition 
acquaintances  erred  in  the  opposite  direction  and  thus 
neutralized  all  influence  for  good  that  they  might  other- 
wise have  exerted.  Moderation  here,  as  elsewhere,  is 
the  wisest  and  most  effective  course. 

Twenty  years  ago  it  was  a  very  general  rule  to  find 
one  or  more  drunken  doctors  in  almost  every  town  or 
village  and  some  of  these  were  popular  practitioners  and 
when  sober  were  capable  of  relieving  much  suffering,  but 


The  Alcohol  Problem  233 

when  intoxicated  the  harm  they  were  liable  to  do  can 
well  be  imagined. 

Fortunately  for  the  unquestioned  good  of  all,  general 
prohibition  has  come  to  stay  and  when  the  "old  soaks" 
have  all  passed  off  the  stage  the  world  will  be  the  better 
in  at  least  some  particulars.  When  the  saloon  was  in 
flower  those  engaged  in  this  nefarious  business  "made 
no  bones"  of  the  fact  that  no  pains  must  be  spared  to 
entice  young  persons  to  develop  an  appetite  for  strong 
drink.  Indeed,  in  some  of  their  publications  they  ad- 
vocated this  openly  and  came  out  with  the  bold  state- 
ment that  when  the  older  drink-habitues  died  off  these 
young  recruits  would  be  ready  to  take  their  places  and 
thus  could  the  saloon  business  be  perpetuated.  Early  in 
the  twentieth  century  I  happened  to  be  in  Springfield 
when  a  Liquor  Dealers'  Association  was  in  session  and 
during  this  those  in  charge  were  unwise  enough  to  have 
a  parade  and  such  a  display  would  be  hard  to  imagine 
outside  of  a  comic  paper.  Such  a  collection  of  bloated, 
besotted,  blear-eyed,  rum-distorted  countenances  one 
would  scarce  see  in  a  lifetime.  And  strange  to  say, 
these  miserable,  deluded  people  could  not  realize  that 
they  were  advertising  their  business  in  precisely  the  op- 
posite way  from  the  one  intended,  for  the  most  ardent 
prohibitionist  could  not  have  asked  for  a  more  perfect 
exhibition  of  what  strong  drink  had  wrought  than  these 
parading  saloon  keepers  plainly  displayed  in  their  sev- 
eral persons. 

When  I  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  Civil 
War  Era  alcohol  in  some  form  was  deemed  indispensible 
in  the  treatment  of  the  later  stages  of  typhoid  fever, 
pneumonia  and  all  diseases  where  a  stimulant  was  indi- 
cated, and  so  devoted  were  we  to  this  custom  that  I  think 
I  am  safe  in  saying  that  the  average  practitioner  of  that 
time  used  a  pint  of  wine,  whiskey  or  brandy  where  a  tea- 
spoonful  is  not  given  today. 

Some  years  ago,  however.  I  was  cognizant  of  a  case 


234  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

that  did  not  accord  full}'  with  the  last  statement.  A 
medical  man  about  seventy  years  of  age  and  who  all  his 
life  had  been  a  total  abstainer  had  a  badly  infected  hand 
and  the  doctor  who  treated  him  literally  "soaked"  him 
in  whiskey,  so  large  were  the  quantities  he  had  him  im- 
bibe. The  theory  avowed  was  that  alcohol  was  the  quick- 
est acting  and  surest  antidote  for  blood-poisoning.  For- 
tunately in  due  time  the  doctor  recovered  from  his  in- 
fection and  heroic  doses  of  alcohol,  thanks  to  a  vigorous 
constitution  that  a  clean,  simple  life  had  kept  strong  and 
capable  of  exerting  the  needed  resistance.  Strange  that 
this  man's  physician,  himself  a  total  abstainer,  should 
make  almost  drunk  and  keep  thus  for  several  days,  his 
total-abstainer  patient,  he  of  the  three  score  years  and 
ten,  and  he  of  the  simple,  exemplary  life. 

''No  medical  man  of  experience  but  has  seen  and 
known  enough  of  the  e\dl  results  of  drink  to  furnish  al- 
most enough  material  to  fill  a  considerable  volume  in 
size. ' ' 

Among  a  number  of  similar  cases  I  select  the  fol- 
lowing :  One  dark,  drizzly,  raw  morning  in  November  I 
was  called  to  one  of  the  cheaper  boarding  houses  in  our 
city  and  upon  reaching  this  was  met  by  a  frowsy  maid 
who  conducted  me  up  a  rickety  stairway  at  the  top  of 
which  I  met  the  late  Dr.  J.  T.  Pearman,  in  his  lifetime  a 
prominent  practitioner  and  my  fellow  townsman.  To- 
gether we  were  shown  into  a  small  room  and  upon  its 
towsled  and  dirty  bed  we  found  our  patient.  Her  face 
was  Ihnd,  she  was  breathing  heavily  and  an  effort  to 
arouse  her  made  it  verj^  plain  that  she  was  in  a  deep 
comatose  state  probably  the  result  of  some  drug;  and 
further  that  her  pupils  were  contracted  to  a  pin's  point 
made  it  more  than  probable  that  a  large  quantity  of  some 
opiate  had  been  swallowed.  A  moment  later  the  remains 
of  a  white  powder,  presumably  morphine,  made  matters 
almost  plain. 

Notwithstanding  the  extreme  narcotism  that  existed 


The  Alcohol  Problem  235 

we  set  about  trying  to  put  in  practice  such  measures  as 
would  possibly  overcome  the  effects  of  the  poisonous 
drug.  As  the  patient  was  far  past  swallowing  we  in- 
jected under  the  skin  apomorphia  and  furthermore  fol- 
lowing the  teachings  of  Roberts  Bartholow,  we  injected 
atropine  hypodermically  hoping  this  would  antidote  the 
morphine.  We  also  made  the  effort  to  use  remedies  per 
anum,  but  the  sphincter  was  paralyzed. 

Despite  our  best  directed  efforts  our  patient's  condi- 
tion grew  steadily  worse.  Her  breathing  grew  shal- 
lower and  shallower  and  slower  and  slower  till  finally  it 
stopped  and  death  ended  all. 

When  all  was  over  I  took  occasion  to  look  about  the 
place  where  a  tragic  death  had  put  out  a  young  life  for 
it  was  learned  later  that  although  married  she  had  but 
lately  passed  out  of  her  teens.  The  floor  of  the  room  was 
uncarpeted,  the  sash  in  the  windows  was  loose  and  rat- 
tled in  the  November  wind,  a  rickety  bedstead  and  two 
old  and  much  scarred  wooden  chairs  made  up  the  furni- 
ture. On  the  bed  was  a  filthy  straw  tick,  and  towsled 
over  this  were  dirty  sheets  and  quilts  and  on  a  yet  more 
filthy  uncased  pillow  rested  the  head  of  the  one  who  had 
just  crossed  to  the  Great  Beyond,  and  now  that  death 
had  passed  its  quieting  hand  over  her  features  these 
were  seen  to  be  far  from  uncomely.  Indeed,  despite  the 
discoloration  wrought  by  the  poisonous  drug  her  coun- 
tenance despite  its  bloated  condition  was  certainly  not 
bad.  Notwithstanding  the  uncared  for  condition  of  her 
hair  this  was  seen  to  be  of  a  rich  glossy  brown,  her  eye- 
lashes were  long  and  beautifully  curved.  Despite  her 
cheap  calico  dress,  sleazj'  stockings  and  coarse  shoes 
there  were  yet  about  her  certain  evidences  of  womanly 
grace  and  comeliness,  hard  to  describe. 

Now  that  death  had  set  its  relentless  seal  on  all,  we 
were  naturally  curious  to  learn  why  this  should  have 
come  about  in  the  way  we  had  just  witnessed.     But  we 


236  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

had  not  long  to  wait  till  our  curiosity  was  satisfied  by  a 
piece  of  thin  wrapping  paper  which  the  maid  put  in  our 
hands  and  on  which,  poorly  typewritten  and  illy  coeq- 
posed,  was  the  following : 

"Champaign,  111.,  March,  1888. 
'  *  Dear  James : 

' '  I  am  going  to  do  something  which  I  know  is  wicked 
in  the  sight  of  the  good,  but  nevertheless  it  is  death  or 
something  worse  than  death.  I  have  tried  every  means 
that  I  can  think  of  and  nothing  will  stop  your  drinking, 
and  you  know  what  it  has  done  for  us  and  I  can  stand  it 
no  more.  But  I  ask  you  as  the  last  request  I  will  ever 
make  to  you,  'Do  not  drink  no  more.'  And  please  bury 
me  as  you  find  me,  do  not  make  any  change  at  all.  I 
know  I  could  be  put  away  a  great  deal  nicer,  but  I  want 
this  way.  Take  care  of  my  things,  do  not  throw  them 
away  and  do  not  take  me  home.  I  do  not  want  to  go  and 
whenever  you  come  to  meet  me  be  laid  by  my  side. 

"Dear,  do  not  think  for  a  moment  because  I  do  this 
you  were  not  kind  to  me,  for  you  are  one  of  the  best  men 
on  earth  to  your  wife,  but  the  drink  has  the  upper  hand 
of  you.  But  try  for  the  sake  of  your  dead  wife  to  do 
better.  I  know  you  can.  Dear.  I  will  watch  you  to- 
night till  the  last  breath  leaves  me  and  I  will  die  by  your 
side  because  I  can  die  happy  that  way.  Now,  James  get 
my  trunk  and  take  care  of  it  and  all  that  is  in  it,  es- 
pecially the  toilet  set  that  you  gave  me,  for  I  love  every- 
thing that  you  gave  me.  Oh,  Dear,  I  wish  you  was  sober 
so  I  could  tell  you  of  this,  but  then  I  have  told  you  I 
would  do  it.  I  know  you  love  me  as  well  as  any  man 
can  love  and  I  do  not  regret  a  moment  I  spent  with  you. 
Now,  please,  do  not  let  this  letter  be  published. 

"I  always  said  nothing  but  death  could  separate  us, 
so  I  saw  that  our  time  was  not  long  to  be  together,  and 
I  could  not  live  without  you.  I  should  have  stuck  to  you 
as  long  as  the  money  lasted  if  it  had  been  a  century,  but 


The  Alcohol  Problem  237 

you  know  it  is  gone  and  we  are  penniless.  Tell  my 
mother  I  forgive  everything  and  ask  her  forgiveness  in 
return  and  tell  her  and  brothers  I  have  gone  to  meet 
dear  father  and  sisters ;  and,  James  dear,  I  will  wait  for 
you,  come  soon,  I  love  you  to  death.  It  is  through  love 
for  you  I  have  taken  my  life.  I  have  taken  a  dose  of 
morphine.  Goodby  my  Dear  Husband,  Give  my  re- 
gards to  Uncle  G.  and  tell  him  through  his  kindness  we 
were  together  longer." 

No  signature  was  attached  to  this  ungrammatical, 
but  certainly  heart-melting  letter.  The  husband  was  not 
present  when  his  wife  died,  and  so  far  as  I  know,  no 
relatives  came  to  see  or  claim  the  body,  and  where,  how 
and  by  whom  interment  was  made  I  never  learned.  So 
far  as  I  know  I  never  met  the  husband  before  or  after 
his  wife's  tragic  death,  but  I  can  but  believe  that  if  his 
heart  was  other  than  stone  he  must  have  suffered  ter- 
ribly from  remorse  when  he  learned  how  and  why  the 
end  came  to  one  who  had  given  her  all  to  him. 


XX 


TUBERCULOSIS 

The  knowledge  which  the  people  possess  of  the  art  of 
healing  is  the  measure  of  their  refinement  and  civiliza' 
tion. — Caelyle. 

IN  1912  a  number  of  the  citizens  of  the  Twin  Cities  of 
Champaign  and  Urbana  got  together  and  organized 
the  Champaign  County  Anti-Tuberculosis  League  with 
the  object  of  fighting  the  "Great  White  Plague"  in  its 
many  forms.  Judge  J.  0.  Cunningham,  an  eminent  cit- 
izen of  Urbana,  was  elected  President,  I  was  chosen  Vice- 
President,  and  W.  W.  Earnest  of  the  Champaign  City 
Schools  was  named  for  Secretary-Treasurer. 

Our  first  care  was  to  find  where  tuberculosis  cases 
were  located  and  then  to  assist  them  in  the  way  that 
seemed  most  feasible.  To  accomplish  this  in  the  most 
practicable  way,  a  Visiting  Inspector  was  secured  in  the 
person  of  Dr.  Carrie  Noble  White,  who  for  a  number  of 
years  had  practiced  in  the  Twin  Cities  of  Champaign 
and  Urbana,  and  hence  was  well  and  favorably  known  in 
both  of  these  communities.  Later,  a  room  was  secured 
where  twice  each  week,  clinics  were  held  for  the  exam- 
ination of  suspected  cases.  The  clinics  were  under  the 
immediate  charge  of  physicians,  who  had  had  experience 
in  tubercular  work,  and  who  generously  gave  their  ser- 
vices. 

When  the  League  was  first  organized  it  was  hoped 
that  fees  from  membership  would  defray  all  the  expenses 
incurred  in  the  work.  An  annual  payment  on  one  dollar 
was  the  ordinary  membership  fee,  five  dollars  a  sustain- 
ing fee,  and  fifty  dollars  a  life  membership  fee.  As  time 
went  by,  however,  it  was  discovered  that  our  income 
from  this  source  would  be  inadequate,  consequently  we 

238 


Tuberculosis  239 

had  to  solicit  funds  from  generously  disposed  friends  of 
the  work. 

Our  very  competent  Visiting  Inspector  gave  her  ser- 
vices at  the  low  price  of  $75.00  per  month.  She  served 
us  faithfully  for  a  time  when  feeling  no  longer  equal  to 
the  work  she  resigned  and  in  her  stead  we  employed  Dr. 
Maude  E.  Nichols,  who  served  us  faithfully  for  a  period 
of  six  years  when  she  too  resigned  that  she  might  have 
a  much  needed  change. 

A  little  later  we  employed  two  trained  nurses,  called 
Visiting  Nurses,  and  were  thus  able  to  enlarge  our  work 
and  give  better  service,  though  we  realized  that  more 
faithful  work  than  what  we  had  been  having  could  not 
well  be  rendered. 

In  addition  to  membership  fees,  and  donations  we 
got  some  funds  from  the  sale  of  red-cross  seals,  but  at 
best,  we  were  always  put  to  it  to  meet  our  expenses 
which  necessarily  increased  as  our  work  broadened. 
Finally  the  Board  of  County  Supervisors  voted  us  an 
annual  budget  of  $5000.00  which  additional  sum  was 
likewise  swallowed  up  in  meeting  our  ever  increasing 
needs.  Our  survey  of  the  county  uncovered  a  number 
of  cases  that  were  in  need  of  sanatorium  treatment  and 
these  we  sent  to  any  sanitorium  within  convenient 
reach  which  had  a  spare  bed.  The  price  per  week  in 
these  ranged  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  dollars,  and  as 
the  number  wanting  to  go  to  one  of  these  was  constantly 
increasing  we  found  our  finances  meanwhile  running 
lower,  all  of  which  emphasised  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
growing  need  in  our  county  for  a  Tuberculosis  Sani- 
torium. 

The  law  in  Illinois  provides  that  if  a  majority  of  the 
voters  in  any  one  county  decide  by  ballot  that  a  sani- 
torium should  be  provided  this  must  be  done,  through 
the  action  of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors  whose 
duty  it  is  to  levy  a  tax  therefore. 


240  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

For  a  number  of  sessions  our  Board  refused  to  take 
any  action.  Indeed,  at  first  they  were  so  obdurate  that 
a  mandamus  suit  was  brought  to  eompell  them  to  do  this, 
but  notwithstanding  from  one  cause  and  another  the 
matter  was  delayed.  It  should  perhaps  have  been  stated 
before  that  the  Illinois  law  provides  for  a  Board  of  three 
Sanitorium  Directors  to  be  named  by  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors and  very  early  in  the  movement  in  our  county 
I  was  made  one  of  these.  Immediately  after  the  three 
directors  were  named  we  met  and  organized  and  I  was 
chosen  president  of  the  Board.  Meanwhile  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  voted  ten  thousand  dollars  for  the  purchase 
of  a  site  for  the  sanitorium.  But  notwithstanding  this 
action  they  for  a  time  refused  to  make  the  levy  needed 
to  raise  the  money  for  the  sanitorium  building. 

Meanwhile  we  employed  a  competent  architect  who 
drew  up  plans  and  after  considering  these  carefully  we 
submitted  them  to  the  chief  architect  of  the  Illinois 
Tuberculosis  Association  and  to  the  State  Department 
and  they  received  the  approval  of  both. 

I  should  have  said  earlier  that  with  our  survey  of  the 
tuberculosis  situation  our  field  of  operations  widened, 
our  dispensary  work  increased  correspondingly  and  we 
had  to  provide  ample  accommodation  for  the  patients 
who  came  for  examination  and  advice.  We  were  fortu- 
nate in  getting  suitable  quarters  for  this  and  a  little 
later  I  moved  my  office  and  secured  a  suite  of  rooms 
where  I  could  be  in  touch  with  the  work  through  the 
greater  part  of  the  day. 

Some  of  the  cases  that  came  in  were  pathetic.  One 
day  a  young  woman  came  in  my  office  bearing  a  letter 
addressed  to  me  from  a  physician  in  the  southeast  comer 
of  the  county,  requesting  me  to  have  the  bearer  of  the 
letter  examined  and  cared  for  as  we  might  see  fit.  A 
glance  at  the  young  woman  showed  at  once  that  she  had 
character  and  was  hence  worthy. 

Her  personality  was  winning,  she  was  tall,  graceful. 


Tuberculosis  241 

had  regular  features,  bright  blue  eyes  and  a  most  in- 
telligent countenance,  but  with  it  all  she  had  a  jaded 
look.  She  told  me  that  she  had  not  long  before  gradu- 
ated from  a  High  School,  but  in  order  to  do  this  she  had 
been  obliged  to  work  for  her  board  and  study  at  night. 
Later  she  had  taken  up  stenography  and, — well  to  be 
plain  she  had  simply  broken  down.  She  said  she  was 
very  weak  and  had  fever  evenings. 

As  soon  as  it  could  be  arranged  we  examined  her 
carefully  and  found  she  had  a  tubercular  focus  in  her 
right  lung.  As  promptly  as  possible  we  got  her  in  a 
sanitorium  and  the  most  possible  was  done  for  her.  She 
wanted  to  get  well  and  live  and  all  who  had  to  do  with 
her  were  most  desirous  that  she  should,  so  attractive  was 
her  personality  and  so  useful  in  life  did  she  promise  to 
be.  But  sad  to  say,  she  went  down,  down,  down  into  an 
early  grave.  One  more  victim  of  the  Great  White 
Plague.  Could  she  have  lived  she  would  no  doubt  have 
developed  into  a  noble  woman  and  possibly  have  attained 
the  proud  position  of  mother  of  a  family  of  children,  for 
be  it  knoAvn  that  the  true  Queen  of  this  earth  is  the  Good 
Mother. 

Verj'  naturally  our  survey  of  the  county  revealed 
the  fact  that  no  class,  no  walk  in  life,  no  condition  is 
free  from  the  inroads  of  tuberculosis.  We  found  cases 
in  well-to-do  families  under  the  care  of  competent  and 
faithful  physicians.  We  found  them  in  poor  families 
where  all  the  surplus  funds  were  paid  out  for  patent 
medicines  carrying  the  delusive  promise  that  a  few  more 
bottles  would  surely  effect  a  cure !  We  found  tubercular 
cases  in  families  too  indifferent  to  make  the  effort  to 
seek  relief  from  any  source  whatever.  We  also  found 
an  undue  proportion  of  eases  in  the  families  of  our  col- 
ored population,  a  considerable  colony  of  whom  have 
homes  in  our  midst.  We  of  course  realized  that  these 
people  are  entitled  to  care  and  consideration,  not  only 
because  they  are  human  beings,  but  from  the  further 


242  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

fact  that  they,  too,  are  liable  to  sow  broadcast  the  seeds 
of  the  disease. 

In  the  old  days  it  was  very  generally  thought  that 
pulmonary  consumption,  or  just  "consumption'  as  it 
was  then  almost  invariably  called,  was  almost  never  cur- 
able, and  yet  in  that  period  there  were  some  notable  re- 
coveries. In  the  middle  period  of  the  nineteenth  century 
one  of  the  most  prominent  phj^siciaus  and  writers  in 
this  country  was  Dr.  George  B.  Wood,  Professor  of 
Theory  and  Practice  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  and  author  of  a  popular 
treatise  on  that  subject.  In  this  work  he  relates  at 
some  length  how  a  generation  before  Dr.  Joseph  Parrish, 
when  a  young  man  was  stricken  with  pulmonarj'  tuber- 
culosis and,  in  effect,  given  up  to  die  by  his  physician 
and  friends.  But  the  young  man  being  of  a  different 
mind,  went  to  the  country,  ate  hearty  countrj^  food  in 
plenty,  breathed  country  air  freely,  began  to  improve, 
to  gain  in  weight  and  strength,  kept  this  up  till  he  prac- 
tically recovered.  Later  he  returned  to  the  city,  resumed 
his  studies,  became  a  successful  practitioner  and  finally 
eminent  in  his  profession.  He  died  in  old  age  and  a 
post-morten  revealed  a  considerable  cicatrix  in  his  lungs 
where  an  old  tubercular  inflammation  had  healed. 

When  in  the  prime  of  his  successful  career,  George 
B.  Wood  became  the  student  and  life-long  friend  of  Dr. 
Parrish,  whose  honored  career  in  medicine  young  Wood 
was  destined  to  surpass. 

The  nineteenth  century  was  yet  j^oung  when  Richard 
Henry  Dana,  who  belonged  to  an  old  honored  Massa- 
chusetts family  of  that  name,  a  very  young  man,  a  grad- 
viate  of  Harvard,  found  himself  a  victim  of  pulmonary 
tuberculosis  and,  as  his  medical  adviser  and  friends 
thought  soon  to  go  to  his  grave.  Not  so  thought  young 
Dana  who  was  determined  to  put  up  a  stiff  fight  for  his 
life.  In  that  period  the  ship  propelled  by  wind  im- 
pinging against  its  wide-spread  sails  was  in  flower  and 


Tuberculosis  243 

the  American  clipper  found  no  equal  in  the  whole  area 
of  "The  Seven  Seas."  Young  Dana  bethought  himself 
that  a  season  spent  on  the  sea  might  prove  beneficial. 
Carrying  out  this  idea  he  found  employment  as  a  com- 
mon sailor  on  a  ship.  Thus  employed  he  ate  the  coarse 
hearty  food,  wore  the  plain  simple  dress,  did  the  hard 
service  and  finally  breathed  the  fresh  salt-laden  air,  all 
of  which  for  better  or  for  worse  were  the  heritage  of  the 
common  sailor.  This  was  a  hard,  strenuous  life  for  the 
high-bred,  smartly  trained,  and  well  educated  young 
man  from  Boston ! 

The  life  was  certainly  a  hard  one  for  those  who  had 
long  been  inured  to  it,  and  that  the  young  high-bred 
Boston  graduate  found  it  especially  so,  can  easily  be 
imagined,  but  he  stuck ;  and  sticking  he  had  his  reward 
in  a  much  improved  physical  condition  which  continued 
till  ultimate  recovery  was  attained.  Later  Dana  be- 
came the  author  of  the  world-famous  book,  "Two  Years 
Before  the  Mast. ' '  Later  still  he  developed  into  an  em- 
inent lawyer  and  jurist.  Finally  he  reached  a  satis- 
factory old  age — a  thing  one  can  well  believe  he  could 
not  have  done  had  he  not  changed  his  environment  for  a 
time  and  resolutely  made  up  his  mind  to  literally  fight 
for  life. 

When  I  was  yet  a  youth  Washington  Irving  died, 
well  past  his  three  score  years  and  ten,  regretted  and 
recognized  as  America's  most  popular  prose  writer. 
When  I  was  a  pupil  in  our  district  school  the  reading 
exercise  was  in  one  of  McGuffy's  advanced  readers  and 
the  lesson  was  ' '  The  Wife ' '  by  Washington  Irving.  Our 
teacher,  who  was  quite  well  versed  in  literature,  pointed 
out  the  merits  and  beauty  of  the  essay  and  at  the  close 
remarked  that  it  was  strange  a  man  who  had  lived  a 
long  unmarried  life,  as  had  Irving,  should  be  able  to 
write  so  knowingly  and  so  appreciatively  of  one  of  the 
partners  in  wedded  life. 

Later  I  learned  that  when  a  young  man  Washington 


244  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Irving  became  engaged  to  Matilda  Hoffman,  a  beautiful 
and  charming  young  woman  and  seemingly  just  the 
right  one  for  so  handsome  and  promising  a  young  hus- 
band. But  alas,  ' '  there 's  many  a  slip  twixt  the  cup  and 
the  lip. ' '  The  engagement  had  not  run  a  great  while 
when  Miss  Hoffman  was  stricken  with  that  terrible 
enemy  of  the  human  race,  pulmonary  consiunption. 
Yes,  charming  and  young  as  she  was,  fortunate  as  she 
was  in  her  fiance,  promising  as  seemed  her  future,  the 
Great  White  Plague  claimed  her  for  its  own.  Youth, 
charm,  and  the  promise  of  a  future  of  joy  and  happiness 
were  as  nothing  in  the  face  of  this  grim  destroyer  that 
claimed  the  beautiful  Matilda  Hoffman  and  doomed  her 
to  her  grave. 

The  death  of  his  beloved-intended,  left  its  lasting 
mark  on  Washington  Irving  and  he  ever  after  held 
sacred  her  memory.  In  his  secretary  was  a  drawer 
which  he  kept  religiously  under  lock  and  key  during 
the  whole  of  his  life  after  the  death  of  his  sweetheart. 
After  his  own  death  in  1859  this  drawer  was  opened  and 
found  to  contain  a  portrait  of  Matilda  Hoffman,  a  lock 
of  her  hair,  an  ornament  last  worn  by  her  and  a  tribute 
of  her  worth  and  character  in  the  hand-writing  of  her 
gifted  lover. 

Late  in  the  year  1920  the  Champaign  County  Board 
of  Supervisors  appropriated  the  sum  of  money  needed  to 
build  the  sanatorium.  Meantime,  the  Sanatorium  Board 
of  Directors  had  selected  a  site  for  the  institution  and 
had  secured  plans  for  the  builders  to  follow,  all  was 
ready  to  let  the  contract  for  its  construction  and  in  due 
course  this  w^a.s  done  and  near  the  end  of  the  year  the 
structure  was  finished  and  ready  for  occupancy. 

Meanwhile  Dr.  Anna  Johnson,  of  Chicago,  was  em- 
ployed as  superintendent  and  soon  got  busy  selecting 
equipment  and  making  up  an  organization  for  the  insti- 
tution and  time  has  proved  that  in  the  prosecution  of 
these  duties  she  exercised  good  judgment. 


Tuberculosis  245 

In  February,  1921,  the  doors  of  the  sanatorium  were 
thrown  open  for  the  reception  of  patients  and  those  ad- 
mitted proved  to  be  in  all  stages  of  the  disease.  Indeed, 
one  was  so  far  advanced  that  death  occurred  in  a  few 
days  after  admission. 

The  Board  of  Directors  have  come  to  realize  that  in  a 
broad  sense  tubercular  patients  can  be  divided  into  three 
classes.  First  the  very  mild,  or  incipient  cases,  second 
the  moderately  advanced,  and  last  the  far  advanced 
cases. 

The  incipient  cases  can  in  a  large  number  of  instances 
be  promptly  restored  to  health,  but  death  is  the  natural 
and  usually  inevitable,  outcome  of  all  far  advanced  cases. 
Patients  with  the  disease  in  moderately  advanced  form 
are  the  ones  on  which,  very  naturally,  the  curative  ef- 
forts of  physicians,  nurses  and  attendants  are  concen- 
trated. For  these  being  hopeful  cases  they  unfailingly 
excite  interest  and  stimulate  effort  in  their  behalf. 
Hence  it  follows  that  the  care  of  the  moderately  ad- 
vanced cases  resolves  itself  into  a  sort  of  fight  which  all 
concerned  most  earnestly  hope  to  win.  But  even  under 
the  best  management  so  long  drawn  out  does  this  fight 
become  that  it  assumes  the  nature  of  a  siege  rather  than 
that  of  a  fight,  and  as  a  result  many  faces  became  very 
familiar  as  I  from  time  to  time  visited  the  sanatorium 
wards.  Sad  to  say  on  some  of  these  visits  I  would  maybe 
miss  a  familiar  countenance  and  upon  inquiry  would 
learn  that  its  owner  had  crossed  to  the  Great  Beyond. 

Some  of  these  cases  were  especially  pathetic  as  the 
following  will  show.  A  young  man  from  this  commun- 
ity with  the  hope  of  getting  better  of  his  tuberculosis 
had  gone  to  Colorado.  Later  he  learned  we  were  about 
to  build  a  county  tuberculosis  sanatorium  and  in  conse- 
quence I,  from  time  to  time,  received  letters  from  him 
inquiring  about  the  progress  we  were  making.  Finally 
learning  that  the  institution  was  completed  and  ready 
for  occupancy  he   made  a  huurried  trip  to  his  home 


246  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

county  and  was  one  of  the  first  patients  to  enter  the 
sanatorium.  Here,  after  recovering  from  the  fatigue  of 
his  journey,  he  settled  down  and  began  the  business  of 
getting  better,  to  which  he  devoted  himself  only  a  little 
short  of  religiously.  But  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be 
done  for  him  and  in  spite  of  his  devoted  cooperation,  it 
was  later  seen  that  all  effort  on  the  part  of  patient  and 
attendants  were  destined  to  fail  and  in  the  end  he  went 
to  his  grave. 

This  young  man  belonged  to  a  good  family  and  had 
set  his  heart  on  making  a  good  recovery,  and  further- 
more, his  friends  and  acquaintances  took  exceptional  in- 
terest in  his  case  and  felt  that  he  was  one  especially 
worth  saving,  but  unfortunately  the  disease  had  made 
serious  inroads  before  any  treatment  had  been  under- 
taken. 

Later  another  case  came  to  attract  the  particular  in- 
terest of  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 
This  was  that  of  a  young  woman  about  nineteen  years 
of  age  who  was  in  the  Sanatorium  for  some  time  and  im- 
proved nicely.  Indeed  her  improvement  was  seemingly 
so  steady  and  satisfactory  in  every  way  that  she  had 
begun  making  plans  for  entering  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois as  a  student.  But  "man  proposes  and  God  dis- 
poses," and  all  at  once,  when  least  expected,  this  young 
woman  became  faint,  turned  deadly  pale,  blood  gushed 
from  her  mouth  and  in  a  moment  all  was  over.  It  was 
thought  that  the  coat  of  a  blood  vessel  had  been  thinned 
and  weakened  by  a  contiguous  ulcerated  surface,  to  a 
degree,  that  caused  it  to  give  way  and  produce  fatal 
hemorrhage. 

But  fortunately  there  is  a  brighter  side  to  tubercu- 
losis work.  As  I  go  about  my  usual  affairs  I  from  time 
to  time  meet  some  individual  with  countenance  lighted 
up  with  a  broad  smile  as  he  or  she  stops  and  greets  me 
in  a  joyful  mood  and  all  because  of  treatment  at  the 
' '  Outlook, ' '  as  the  institution  has  come  to  be  called. 

Later  we  equipped  the  second  pavillion  and  provided 


Tuberculosis  247 

the  additional  nurses  and  other  help  to  put  it  in  run- 
ning condition.  Two  of  the  practical  nurses  employed, 
by  reason  of  this  extension  of  the  work,  were  at  one  time 
patients  in  the  Sanitorium  and  their  cheerful  counten- 
ances, quick  movements  and  healthy  appearance  gener- 
ally, were  so  many  mute  witnesses  to  the  fact  that  tu- 
berculosis if  taken  in  time  is  certainly  curable. 

Really  a  properly  conducted  tuberculosis  sanatorium 
is  a  school  for  the  dissemination  of  knowledge  pertain- 
ing to  the  care  and  treatment  of  patients  suffering  from 
that  disease.  So  true  is  this  that  certain  intelligent  and 
well  disposed  patients  can  go  to  an  up-to-date  sanator- 
ium, acquire  a  working  knowledge  of  the  care  and  treat- 
ment of  patients,  return  to  their  homes,  carry  this  out 
and  later  have  the  satisfaction  of  reaping  its  full  bene- 
fits. However,  this  is  presuming  that  the  patient  has  at 
least  an  average  good  home  to  return  to  but  unfortu- 
nately some  victims  of  this  disease  have  not  so  much  as 
a  roof  over  their  heads. 

The  Outlook  Tuberculosis  Sanitorium  has  come  to 
be  a  well  recognized  and  acceptable  institution  in  our 
county  and  many  of  our  citizens  express  their  appre- 
ciation of  its  work  by  gifts  of  various  kinds.  Most  of 
these  are  without  much  intrinsic  value  but  they  serve 
to  show  the  interest  and  good  will  of  the  donors. 

Every  Sunday  evening  a  picture  show  gives  an  en- 
tertainment adapted  to  the  day  and  character  of  the 
audience.  In  the  middle  of  the  week  a  minister  or 
capable  layman  gives  a  short  talk  on  some  proper  topic. 
A  radio  set  has  been  installed  and  head  phones  con- 
nected with  every  bed. 

For  nearly  three  years  Dr.  W.  C.  Martini  has  been 
rendering  most  satisfactory  service  as  Superintendent 
of  the  Outlook  Sanitarium  and  furthermore  has 
charge  of  the  dispensarj'  and  the  county  tuberculosis 
work. 


XXI 

A  MEMBER  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  STATE 
BOARD  OF  HEALTH 

Life  is  arched  with  changing  skies; 
Rarely  are  they  what  they  seem — 

William  Winter. 

ONE  day  in  April,  1897,  I  received  a  telegram  from 
Governor  Tanner  in  the  State  House  at  Springfield, 
notifying  me  that  I  had  been  appointed  a  Member  of 
the  State  Board  of  Health  and  that  there  would  be  a 
meeting  next  day  in  his  office  for  the  purpose  of  organi- 
zation, which  I  was  expected  to  attend. 

As  I  was  at  the  time  quite  busy  in  practice  I  did  not 
think  it  necessary  to  start  at  once  for  Springfield  but 
took  a  train  next  morning  which  landed  me  in  that  city 
about  noon,  when  I  learned  that  the  meeting  for  organi- 
zation would  occur  at  2  P.  M.  At  the  hour  appointed  I 
went  to  the  Governor's  office  where  I  found  the  other 
newly-appointed  members,  none  of  whom  I  had  ever 
before  met.  After  mutual  introductions  and  hand- 
shaking Governor  Tanner  said,  "Gentlemen  you  will 
please  come  to  order  for  the  purpose  of  organization." 

Complying  with  this,  Dr.  French  of  Lawrenceburg, 
Illinois,  arose  to  his  feet  and  put  Dr.  B.  in  nomination 
for  President  of  the  Board.  Someone  seconded  this  and 
in  a  moment  he  was  unanimously  elected  by  receiving  all 
six  of  our  votes,  he  being  the  seventh  member.  This 
done  Governor  Tanner  stated  that  he  had  offered  the 
Secretaryship  of  the  Board  to  Dr.  Riley  of  Chicago,  a 
man  with  a  wide  experience  in  public  health  work  and 
moreover,  like  Governor  Tanner  and  myself,  a  Civil 
War  veteran.     Speaking  further  Governor  Tanner  said 

248 


The  State  Board  of  Health  249 

that  he  regretted  to  have  to  report  that  Dr.  Riley  had 
finally  declined  acceptance  of  the  position  and  that  he 
would  have  to  look  for  a  substitute  which  would  take 
time.  Meanwhile,  he  had  arranged  for  the  retiring  Sec- 
retary, Dr.  Scott,  to  continue  in  service  till  his  successor 
was  fixed  upon.  This  much  accomplished,  we  adjourned 
to  meet  at  a  future  date. 

As  we  were  retiring  from  the  room  Governor  Tanner 
spoke  to  me  aside  and  said,  "Why,  Dr.  Johnson,  I  in- 
tended that  you  should  be  President  of  this  Board  and 
I  am  disappointed  that  you  are  not."  I  expressed  my 
thanks  for  his  kind  intentions  and  said  that  I  was  late 
getting  on  the  ground,  that  the  other  members  came 
earlier  and  had,  I  supposed,  got  things  "cut  and 
dried. ' '  On  my  way  to  Springfield  I  met  a  friend  who 
said,  "Why,  Dr.  Johnson,  you  have  not  only  been  ap- 
pointed a  Member  of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  but 
are  evidently  intended  for  its  President."  Then  he 
called  my  attention  to  a  fact  that  I  had  overlooked, 
namely,  that  in  the  Chicago  papers  my  name  appeared 
in  place  of  Dr.  B.  M.  Griffith,  the  retiring  President. 
For  once  the  papers  were  correct  and  their  report  coin- 
cided with  Vv'hat  I  later  had  from  Governor  Tanner's 
lips. 

In  due  time  Governor  Tanner  appointed  Dr.  James 
A.  Egan,  Secretary  of  the  Illinois  State  Board  of  Health 
and  a  little  later  a  meeting  was  called  to  convene  at  the 
Palmer  House.  When  the  first  session  occurred  and  Dr. 
B.,  the  president-elect,  took  the  chair  to  preside  all  soon 
realized  that  he  was  intoxicated.  Indeed,  he  was  so 
much  under  the  influence  of  "booze"  that  he  was  not 
equal  to  the  task  of  presiding  while  the  business  of  the 
meeting  was  disposed  of.  Seeing  this,  the  Secretary 
suggested  that  the  Board  adjourn  to  meet  at  a  little 
later  date.  When  this  second  meeting  convened  it  found 
us  again  with  an  intoxicated  chairman  on  our  hands. 


250  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

However,  he  managed  to  somehow  preside,  but  in  a 
blundering  manner.  At  all  the  subsequent  meetings  of 
the  Board,  during  1897,  history  repeated  itself  in  the 
fact  that  our  president  always  came  to  the  chair  intox- 
icated, indeed,  sometimes  reeling.  But  notwithstanding 
these  facts,  Dr.  B.  was  a  candidate  for  re-election  at 
the  coming-in  of  the  new  year  and  what  was  remarkable 
he  was  re-elected.  Dr.  B.  voted  for  himself  and  four 
other  members  voted  for  him  likewise.  I  voted  for  Dr. 
F.  and  he,  like  the  successful  candidate  voted  for  him- 
self. But  all  the  good  this  did  was  to  take  two  votes 
from  Dr.  B.  It  will  be  recalled  that  Dr.  F.  was  the 
member  who  put  Dr.  B.  in  nomination  when  the  Board 
was  organized,  and  championed  his  election.  Dr.  F.  did 
this  after  making  an  agreement  with  Dr.  B.  that  at  the 
end  of  the  year  he  was  not  to  be  a  candidate  for  re- 
election and  furthermore,  was  to  vote  and  throw  his 
influence  for  Dr.  F.  for  the  presidency  of  the  Board. 

The  Board  meetings  of  1898  were  like  those  of  1897 
in  all  that  pertained  to  the  president  who  persisted  in 
coming  to  the  chair  intoxicated.*  Finally  these  facts 
came  to  the  ears  of  Grovernor  Tanner,  who  asked  for  and 
received  Dr.  B.'s  resignation  as  president.  Meantime 
Dr.  Carr  of  Carlinville,  111.,  who  had  recently  been 
appointed  a  member  of  the  Boarad,  was  elected  its 
president  and  served  out  the  remainder  of  the  year 
1898,  when  he  retired  from  the  Board.  At  the  first 
meeting  of  the  Board  in  January,  1899,  I  was  elected 
president,  seemingly  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  Gov- 
ernor Tanner,  who  a  little  later  said  to  me,  "Dr.  John- 
son 3'^ou  are  now  where  I  wanted  you  all  along  and  had 
I  done  my  full  duty  at  the  start  and  put  you  in  the 
chair  you  would  have  saved  the  Board  a  good  deal  of 
trouble."    Governor  Tanner  was  near  my  own  age.  like 

•  Although  these  facts  are  mentioned  elsewhere,  their  reiteration 
here  is  necessary  to  the  narrative. 


The  State  Board  of  Health  251 

myself  a  Civil  War  soldier  and  always  seemed  to  have  a 
friendly  feeling  toward  me. 

The  Illinois  State  Board  of  Health  had  a  great  deal 
of  work  to  do,  for  not  only  was  it  a  Sanitary  Board, 
but  likewise  had  charge  of  Medical  Education  in  the 
State  as  well.  We  had  not  long  been  members  when  a 
new  medical  practice  act  went  in  force  which  required 
every  new  medical  graduate  to  submit  to  an  examina- 
tion even  though  he  might  be  a  Johns  Hopkins  alumnus. 
Examining  and  licensing  these  graduates  involved  much 
work  and  no  little  responsibility,  particularly  the  licens- 
ing. As  time  went  by  this  last  came  to  have  attached  to 
it  a  certain  degree  of  scandal  in  which  was  entangled 
the  name  of  our  Secretary,  Dr.  James  A.  Egan.  I 
learned  of  this  and  as  I  had  to  sign  my  name  as  pres- 
ident to  every  license  issued  by  the  Board  I  was  very 
naturally  a  little  disturbed. 

As  the  members  of  the  Board  were  all  in  active 
practice  and  knew  nothing  of  the  Board  business  save 
what  they  learned  at  some  half  dozen  yearly  meetings 
of  a  day's  duration,  this  was  little  to  be  wondered  at. 
It  was  under  these  conditions  that  Dr.  Egan  was  made 
Executive  Officer  of  the  Board,  and  as  this  necessarily 
put  much  power  in  his  hands  his  critics  had,  as  they 
believed,  all  the  more  reason  to  become  suspicious.  If 
Dr.  Egan  was  ever  guilty  of  selling  licenses  or  making 
use  of  ' '  graft ' '  in  any  other  Board  transactions  he  cer- 
tainly kept  it  covered  up  so  securely  that  no  one  was 
able  to  let  in  upon  it  the  real  sunlight  of  fact, — that  is 
fact  of  the  kind  that  would  establish  guilt. 

Dr.  Egan  was  a  most  adroit  politician  and  managed 
to  get  "next  to"  every  incoming  Governor,  beginning 
with  Tanner  and  ending  in  the  midst  of  Dunn's  admin- 
istration, when  Dr.  Egan  died,  about  eighteen  years  in 
all.  In  politics  Dr.  Egan  was  a  Republican,  but  dur- 
ing the  eighteen  years  of  his  incumbency  of  the  Secre- 
taryship of  the  Illinois  State  Board  of  Health  he  in- 


252  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

variably  managed  to  ingrain  himself  into  the  good 
graces  of  each  incoming  Governor,  let  said  Governor  be- 
long to  what  party  or  what  party-faction  he  might.  Dr. 
Egan  was  a  bright  man  and  few  medical  men  could  get 
on  their  feet  and  speak  more  to  the  point  than  he.  More- 
over, as  a  rule  he  was  suave  and  gentlemanly.  But 
whatsoever  were  his  winning  qualities  he  and  I  were 
some  way  not  drawn  to  one  another.  I  could  put  my 
finger  on  no  fact  that  compromised  his  integrity,  yet  I 
somehow  distrusted  him,  and  this  last  was  true  of  the 
great  majority  of  the  best  men  in  the  profession  in  Illi- 
nois. Nobody  had  anything  that  would  incriminate  Dr. 
Egan,  but  a  great  many  had  their  suspicions. 

In  1904  my  term  of  service  on  the  Board  ended.  I 
had  served  four  years  under  Governor  Tanner  and  four 
years  under  his  successor,  Governor  Yates,  who  in  turn 
was  succeeded  by  Governor  Deneen.  Just  before  his 
term  ended  Governor  Yates  appointed  in  my  stead  a 
young  man  whom  all  regarded  as  unfit  for  the  place.  I 
was  indignant  and  wrote  the  Governor  a  "piece  of  my 
mind." 

It  of  course  did  no  good  and  after  a  little  I,  in  a 
measure  got  over  my  disappointment.  Later  I  read  a 
paper  before  the  State  Historical  Society,  in  which  I 
paid  a  high  compliment  to  the  older  Richard  Yates,  the 
"War  Governor,"  and  which  was  listened  to  by  his  son, 
the  younger  Governor  Richard  Yates,  who  happened  to 
be  present.  Meeting  the  son  a  year  later  he  said  he  never 
had  gotten  the  opportunity  to  thank  me  for  the  kind 
things  I  had  said  of  his  father,  which  he  then  did.  I 
"countered"  by  saying  that  I  desired  to  thank  him  in 
a  way  that  would  prove  a  surprise,  I  wanted  to  thank 
him  for  not  reappointing  me  in  1904  on  the  State  Board 
of  Health  when  my  time  had  expired,  for  since  that  date 
the  Board  had  come  to  be  more  and  more  a  subject  for 
criticism  at  the  hands  of  the  better  men  in  the  profes- 


The  State  Board  op  Health  253 

sion,  and  no  man  who  cared  for  his  peace  of  mind  would 
care  to  serve  under  such  circumstances. 

To  speak  a  little  more  of  State  Board  matters:  My 
experience  as  a  member  convinced  me  of  one  thing, 
namely,  that  the  perfunctory  way  in  which  the  several 
members  were  obliged  to  serve  and  perform  their  duties 
was  a  mistake.  We  hurried  from  our  various  fields  of 
practice,  hurried  to  our  chairs  at  the  sessions,  hurried 
the  business  through,  took  the  Secretary's  word  for 
everything,  and  then  hurried  back  to  our  several  homes 
and  to  the  bedsides  of  our  patients.  All  this  gave  the 
Secretary  a  great  deal  of  power,  particularly  as  he  was 
made  Executive  Officer  of  the  Board.  Board  Members 
should  have  been  paid  at  least  an  ample  sum  per  diem, 
our  patients  should  have  been  put  temporarily  in  the 
hands  of  brother  practitioners  so  that  our  minds  would 
have  been  easy  and  free  from  anxiety  on  that  score. 

Dr.  Egan  died  during  the  administration  of  Grover- 
ner  Dunn  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  C.  St.  John  Drake, 
who  at  once  won  and  retained  the  confidence  of  the 
medical  profession  of  the  State.  Upon  the  accession  of 
Governor  Lowden,  however,  the  State  Board  of  Health 
was  abolished  and  in  its  place  a  Director  of  Public 
Health  was  appointed.  To  this  place  Dr.  Drake  was 
appointed  and  served  with  satisfaction  to  all  concerned 
till  the  coming  in  of  Governor  Small's  administration, 
when  Dr.  J.  D.  Rawlings  became  Director  of  Public 
Health  and  he,  like  his  predecessor,  is  filling  the  posi- 
tion admirably. 

While  on  the  Board  I  had  some  unique  experiences 
and  one  that  had  to  do  with  a  smallpox  epidemic  that 
soon  after  the  Spanish  War  pervaded  the  entire  country. 
At  or  near  the  beginning  of  the  present  centurj^  I  one 
day  received  a  telephone  message  from  Dr.  Egan,  the 
Secretary,  at  Springfield,  asking  me  how  far  I  lived  from 
the  village   of  Downs,   McLean   County.      I   answered. 


254  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

"about  thirty  miles. "  After  learning  this  the  Secretary 
continued  the  conversation  over  the  wire  by  saying  they 
were  having  a  strange  disease  in  the  village  of  Downs 
that  puzzled  the  doctors  and  they  could  not  agree  on 
its  nature.  Finally  it  was  arranged  that  I  should  meet 
him,  another  member  of  the  Board  and  Dr.  Nelson,  an 
expert  physician  employed  by  the  Board  at  Blooming- 
ton,  from  whence  we  would  all  go  to  Downs  and  see  if 
we  could  decipher  the  difficulty  the  doctors  were  in 
over  the  unrecognized  outbreak.  Accordingly  after  we 
had  all  reached  Bloomington  a  two-horse  carriage  was 
procured,  automobiles  not  j^et  having  come  in  use,  into 
this  we  all  seated  ourselves  and  started  for  Downs  about 
ten  miles  distant.  It  was  a  warm  bright  day,  the  coun- 
try was  beautiful  and  we  all  enjoyed  the  drive. 

Arrived  at  Downs  we  met  one  physician  who  led  the 
way  to  the  houses  where  the  infected  were,  and  it  seemed 
that  half  «the  homes  in  the  village  had  one  or  more 
patients,  none  of  whom  seemed  very  ill.  Among  the 
rest  we  noticed  a  number  of  babies  who  were  suffering 
from  the  trouble  but  in  such  mild  form  that  they  were 
out  of  doors  in  their  baby  carriages.  Upon  inquiry  we 
learned  that  the  great  majority  of  adults  who  were  at- 
tacked had  never  been  vaccinated,  but  smallpox  as  we 
had  seen  it  and  been  taught  concerning  it  was  a  very 
severe  disease  and  practically  none  of  the  many  patients 
we  saw  seemed  much  sick.  True,  they  were  all  broken 
out,  some  freely,  some  very  little.  The  ailment  seemed 
much  too  mild  for  smallpox  and  too  severe  and  too  much 
in  the  way  of  a  general  outbreak  to  be  chickenpox. 
What  then  was  it?  We  finally  came  to  a  kind  of  in- 
definite conclusion  to  call  the  disease  "suspicious," 
quarantine  it  and  await  results.  To  this  the  physician 
who  first  met  us  agreed  willingly,  but  his  colleague, 
whom  we  met  later  protested  against  this  course  and 
insisted  that  the  disease  was  trivial  in  character.     How- 


V. 


^  The  State  Board  of  Health  255 

ever,  we  ordered  the  quarantine  and  departed  for  onr 
several  homes. 

A  few  days  later  I  saw  in  the  Journal  of  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association  a  paper  entitled,  "The  Pres- 
ent Mild  Epidemic  of  Smallpox  that  is  prevailing  in 
this  Country,"  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  W.  M.  Welch  of 
Philadelphia.  This  article  accurately  described  the 
disease  we  had  seen  and  quarantined  at  Downs,  and 
consequently  I  called  Dr.  Egan  's  attention  to  it  as  soon 
as  I  could  get  in  touch  with  him.  There  were  no  serious 
cases  at  Downs  before  or  after  our  visit,  the  disease 
burned  itself  out,  so  to  speak,  and  in  due  time  the  quar- 
antine was  raised.  Well,  however  much  the  Downs  out- 
break troubled  the  citizens  of  that  village  it  in  the  end 
served  several  professionals,  of  which  I  was  one,  a  good 
turn,  namely,  it  taught  them  how  to  recognize  mild 
smallpox  when  they  ran  across  it. 

Later  it  was  my  fortune  to  run  into  a  town  that  was 
literally  "alive"  with  smallpox  of  the  type  referred  to, 
and  this  came  about  as  follows:  I  was  sitting  in  my 
office  one  winter  day  when  my  telephone  rang  and  at 
the  other  end  of  the  line  I  found  Dr.  Charles  E.  Wil- 
kinson of  Monticello,  Illinois,  who  said  he  wished  I  would 
come  over  and  see  what  was  the  matter  with  about  half 
the  citizens  of  his  town  who  had  some  sort  of  a  suspicious 
"breaking-out."  Responding  to  Dr.  W's  request  I  took 
the  first  train  for  Monticello,  called  on  Dr.  Wilkinson, 
who  went  with  me  to  the  City  Physician,  Dr.  W.  B. 
Caldwell,  since  noted  as  the  originator  of  Dr.  Cald- 
well's Syrup  of  Pepsin,  a  well  known  patent  medicine. 
With  Dr.  Caldwell  I  saw  a  number  of  the  cases  and  at 
once  pronounced  them  smallpox.  He  seemed  incredu- 
lous and  really,  I  did  not  wonder  at  this,  for  the  cases 
were  practically  all  mild.  However,  I  explained  what 
I  had  seen  at  Downs  and  other  places,  and  how  Dr.  Wm. 
M.  Welch 's  article  in  the  Journal  of  the  American  Med- 


256  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

ical  Association  had  made  all  plain  to  my  mind,  so  plain 
indeed,  that  I  was  as  confident  of  my  diagnosis  as  I  was 
of  my  own  existence. 

Finally  we  went  to  John  E.  Andrews,  the  Mayor 
of  Monticello,  who  like  myself,  was  a  Civil  War  veteran 
and  moreover,  a  sterling  character.  I  explained  to  him 
the  situation  and  told  him  the  cases  must  all  be  quar- 
antined and  general  vaccination  be  put  in  force.  He, 
with  some  reluctance,  consented  to  follow  my  order 
though,  I  was  at  that  time  President  of  the  State  Board 
of  Health.  Having  done  this  much  I  boarded  the  train 
and  returned  to  Champaign,  my  home. 

Two  or  three  days  later  I  received  copies  of  the  two 
local  Monticello  papers  and  the  way  they  roasted  me  was 
a  fright.  They  published  interviews  with  certain  of 
their  physicians  stating  in  detail  how  wide  of  the  mark 
I  was  in  pronouncing  the  exceedingly  mild  trouble  in- 
festing Monticello  so  grave  a  disease  as  smallpox.  I  can- 
not now  recall  the  names  of  the  doctors  who  had  the  most 
to  say  in  this  way.  However,  I  recall  that  one  Dr.  Tid- 
ball,  now  deceased,  but  in  his  time  a  typical  moss-back, 
was  an  especially  wiseacre  in  pouncing  upon  my  diagno- 
sis. Another,  only  a  little  less  pronounced  in  opposition 
was  Dr.  J.  D.  Knott.  But  my  meanest  and  most  ven- 
omous persecutor  was  one  John  Burgess,  editor  of  the 
Monticello  Republican.  He  could,  it  seemed,  hardly 
find  language  strong  enough  to  belittle  and  villify  me. 
I  am  by  nature  sensitive  and  John  Burgess'  attacks 
"struck  in"  and  I  developed  a  fellow-feeling  for  the 
man  who  bought  two  new,  heavy  cow-hides,  took  an 
abusive  editor  by  the  collar,  and  Avore  them  out  on  his 
back.  Burgess,  some  years  later,  retired  from  the  news- 
paper business  with  the  contempt  and  hatred  of  hun- 
dreds of  good,  decent  people  whom  he  had  abused  and 
villified  in  his  nasty,  venomous  sheet. 

Reports   were    sent   from   Monticello,    detailing   the 


The  State  Board  of  Health  257 

so-called  "blunder"  I  had  made  iu  my  diagnosis  and 
the  hardship  I  had  put  upon  the  Montieello  community 
by  putting  them  under  quarantine.  This  report  in 
milder  form  was  repeated  in  the  papers  of  Champaign, 
my  home  town.  This  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  fully 
explain  in  the  public  prints  the  situation  and  start  the 
ball  rolling  that,  in  the  end,  set  things  to  rights. 
However,  there  was  no  let-up  in  Burgess  and  his  villifi- 
cation  in  his  vile  sheet,  copies  of  Avhich  he  kept  me  well 
supplied  with.  Finally  he  got  his  community  so  worked 
up  that  I  was  hung  in  effigy  from  one  of  Montieello 's 
telephone  poles.  However,  the  Mayor  of  Montieello 
promptly  had  "my  double"  cut  down  as  soon  as  he 
learned  of  it.  A  little  later  I  paid  another  visit  to  Mon- 
tieello to  see  how  well  the  quarantine  was  enforced,  and 
when  through  \vith  my  inspection  managed  to  get  away 
without  being  mobbed.  In  conclusion  I  will  say  that 
great  as  was  the  indignation  of  Montieello  at  my  course 
in  putting  them  under  quarantine,  numerous  pock-marks 
on  sundry  men  and  women  residents  of  that  city  and 
elsewhere  today  bear  mute,  but  indisputable,  testimony 
to  the  correctness  of  my  diagnosis,  however  bitter  it  was 
to  the  palates  of  many  Monticellonians  of  some  twenty 
odd  years  ago — some  of  whom  long  since  had  at  least 
one  forcible  illustration  of  the  old  adage  which  tells  us, 
"Truth  crushed  to  earth  will  rise  again." 

Dr.  Chas.  E.  "Wilkinson,  not  long  after  reporting  con- 
ditions in  Montieello  and  requesting  me  to  come  over, 
removed  to  Danville,  Illinois, — removed,  as  I  have  al- 
ways believed  to  escape  the  reproach  that  Montieello 
subjected  him  to  for  informing  me  of  the  local  situa- 
tion. Be  this  as  it  may  Dr.  Wilkinson  now  lives  in  a 
much  better  to^vn  than  Montieello,  and  enjoys  a  much 
more  extensive  and  lucrative  practice  than  the  last- 
named  place  could  ever  have  afforded.  So  it  would  seem 
that  the  Montieello  outbreak  helped  the  fortune  of  at 


258  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

least  one  of  its  then  residents.  ''It's  an  ill  wind  that 
does  not  bring  good  to  some  one, ' '  says  the  old  adage. 

About  this  time  one  of  our  wealthy  citizens,  A.  C. 
Burnham,  provided  the  funds  for  the  building  of  a 
general  hospital  for  which  our  community  stood  in  need. 
In  due  time  the  building  was  completed  and  given  the 
name  of  Julia  F.  Burnham  Hospital  in  honor  of  the  wife 
of  the  man  who  had  financed  the  enterprise. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1895  the  institution  was 
finished,  a  medical  staff  named  and  a  full  organization 
provided.  It  was  my  fortune  to  furnish  the  first  patient 
— a  well  advanced  case  of  typhoid  fever  which  a  little 
later  died.  In  due  time  the  "Burnham"  as  it  came  to 
be  called,  was  filled  to  its  capacity,  and  has  ever  since 
been  doing  good  work.  I  was  a  member  of  its  first  medi- 
cal staff  and  served  in  that  capacity  till  my  resignation  a 
number  of  years  later. 


XXII 

MY  MEDICAL  LIBRARY 

For  as  great  a  store 

Have  we  of  books  as  bees,  of  herbs  or  more; 
And  the  great  task  to  try,  then  know,  the  good 
To  discern  weeds  and  judge  of  wholesome  food. 
Is  a  rare  scant  performance. 

Henry  Yough,  To  His  Books. 

IN  the  course  of  a  long  professional  life  I  have  ac- 
cumulated many  medical  books  and  periodicals.  I 
have  always  aimed  to  have  up-to-date  standard  works 
on  every  subject  pertaining  to  medicine. 

The  first  work  I  got  on  practice  was  "Watson,  the  next 
Flint,  then  Ziemsen's  Cyclopedia,  and  then  followed  in 
succession  Bartholow,  Loomis,  Osier,  Thompson,  Lock- 
wood  and  last  Edwards. 

As  time  went  by  I  became  interested  in  the  history 
and  progress  of  medicine  and  when  opportunity  offered 
added  to  my  collection  any  work  that  had  been  a  stand- 
ard in  its  day.  Among  other  books  on  Practice  I  have 
Mason  Good's  two-volume  work  first  published  a  hun- 
dred years  ago,  under  the  title,  ' '  Good 's  Study  of  Med- 
icine."  Dr.  Mason  Good  was  a  learned  man  and  espe- 
cially well  versed  in  the  classics  and  dead  languages. 
His  Study  treats  of  about  every  disease  that  poor  hu- 
manity is  heir  to.  Everything  from  toothache,  which 
he  terms.  Dolorosa,  to  insanity,  upon  which  he  bestowed 
the  name,  Echpronia.  In  the  classification  of  disease  he 
broke  away  from  all  precedents  and  worked  out  a  classi- 
fication modeled  on  that  of  Linneus  for  plants.  He 
divided  disease  into  six  classes;  subdivided  these  into 
scores  and  scores  of  Orders,  the  Orders  were  separated 
into  many  Genera,  and  finally  the  Genera  were  separated 

259 


260  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

into  nearly  or  quite  a  thousand  species.  For  illustration 
under  Class  IV,  Neurotica,  and  Order  II,  Aesthetica 
(Affecting  the  Sensations)  was  Parapsis  (Morbid 
Sight),  Species  I,  was  Paropsis  Lucifuga  (Day  Sight) 
Species  II  Parsis  Noctifuga  (Night  Sight)  ;  Species  II, 
Parapsis  Longiuaua  (Long  Sight)  ;  Species  IV  Parapsis 
Propinqua  (Short  Sight)  ;  Species  V,  Propinaua  Lat- 
eralis (Skew  Sight),  and  so  on  through  twelve  species  of 
Genera  I,  (Paropsis),  Order  II,  (Aesthetic),  Class  IV, 
(Neurotica).  But  notwithstanding  Mason  Good's  over- 
learned  and  unnatural  classification  his  Study  of  Med- 
icine is  a  veritable  mine  of  curious  and  interesting  in- 
formation, contained  in  two  royal  octavo  volumes  with 
double-columned  closely  printed  pages  in  small  tj^De, 
interlarded  all  through  with  foot-notes  in  yet  smaller 
type.  All  this  is  trjnng  to  the  eyes,  particularly  to  the 
older  reader,  yet  I  venture  to  say  that  in  all  medical 
literature  few  works  of  the  same  compass  contain  as 
much  rare  and  interesting  information. 

Another  work  on  internal  medicine  in  my  possession 
is  Eberle's  Practice  in  two  volumes,  first  published  in 
1845  and  popular  for  a  considerable  time.  John  Eberle 
was  Professor  of  Theory  and  Practice  in  Jefferson  Med- 
ical College,  Philadelphia,  and  was  the  author  of  several 
works  other  than  the  one  on  Practice.  His  chapter  on 
Contagion  is  especially  interesting,  and  his  definition  of 
it  especially  apt  for  its  day.  "By  contagion  is  under- 
stood a  deleterious  agent  secreted  by  the  animal  body  in 
a  state  of  disease,  which,  when  brought  to  act  on  a 
healthy  individual,  will  produce  a  disease  specifically 
similar  to  the  one  from  which  it  derives  its  origin." 

Substitute  specific  microbe  for  deleterious  agent  in 
the  first  line  of  the  above  and  you  have  an  absolutely 
up-to-date  definition  of  contagion. 

Nor  are  Eberle's  rules,  which  he  quotes  from  Hay- 
garth,  for  the  care  of  contagious  diseases  much  behind 
our  time,  and  which  are  as  follows : 


My  Medical  Library  261 

1.  The  chamber  in  which  the  patient  lies  must  be 
kept  cool  and  freely  ventilated.  No  bed  curtains  must 
be  allowed  to  be  drawn  around  the  patient. 

2.  Dirty  clothes,  utensils,  etc.,  should  be  often 
changed,  and  immediately  immersed  in  cold  water;  and 
washed  clean  when  taken  out. 

3.  The  discharges  from  the  patient  must  be  in- 
stantly removed  ;  and  the  floor  around  the  patient  should 
be  rubbed  clean  once  a  day  with  a  wet  cloth. 

4.  Avoid  the  current  of  the  patient's  breath,  as  well 
as  the  effluvia  which  arises  from  his  body,  and  from  the 
evacuations. 

5.  Visitors  ought  not  to  go  into  the  patient's  cham- 
ber with  an  empty  stomach,  and  in  doubtful  cases  on 
coming  out  they  should  blow  from  the  nose  and  spit  from 
the  mouth  any  contagious  poison  which  may  adhere  to 
these  passages. 

Speaking  of  the  extreme  activity'-  of  contagion  at 
certain  periods  and  its  relative  torpidity  at  others, 
Eberle  said,  "At  times  it  would  seem  impossible  for  a 
contagious  disease  to  extend  the  sphere  of  its  ravages; 
for,  although  sporadic  cases  may  occur  here  and  there, 
yet  no  neglect  in  relation  to  proper  exclusion  will  enable 
the  disease  to  assume  an  epidemic  or  endemic  character. 
During  other  periods,  on  the  contrary,  the  accidental 
importation  of  fomites  (disease  virus?),  or  the  occur- 
rence of  a  case  of  contagious  disease,  acts  like  a  spark 
of  fire  thrown  among  combustible  materials  and  spreads 
disease  among  the  people." 

Dr.  Eberle  has  a  chapter  on  Typhus  fever  which 
included  what  has  been  universally  recognized  as  ty- 
phoid fever.  In  a  foot-note,  however,  he  devotes  con- 
siderable space  to  a  notice  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Gerhard's 
epoch-making  paper  published  some  years  before  in  the 
American  Journal  of  Medical  Sciences  and  clearly  point- 
ing out  the  marked  differences  of  typhus  and  typhoid 
when  these  are  closely  studied. 


262  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Another  interesting  old  work  in  my  library  is  "The- 
ory and  Practice  of  Physic,"  by  Dr.  David  Hosack,  who 
taught  this  branch  of  medicine  in  the  University  of  New 
York.  In  this  volume  of  less  than  700  pages  two  full 
chapters  are  devoted  to  "Contagion  and  Its  Laws." 
Like  all  the  older  clinicians  Dr.  Hosack  makes  much  of 
the  pulse ;  and  after  referring  to  the  extreme  import- 
ance that  the  Chinese  attach  to  this,  and  likewise,  the 
very  considerable  emphasis  that  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush 
gave  to  it,  the  author  said : 

1.  The  full  pulse  which  dilates  itself  unrestrained. 

2.  Small  pulse,  scarcely  to  be  perceived. 

3.  The  soft  pulse,  readily  yielding  to  pressure. 

4.  Hard  or  corded,  tense  wirey  or  quilled  pulse; 
that  is  not  easily  compressed,  but  making  great  resist- 
ance under  the  finger. 

5.  The  frequent  or  quick  pulse,  in  which  one  pul- 
sation rapidly  succeeds  to  another. 

6.  The  slow  puis*"  — one  beat  succeeding  to  another. 

7.  The  regular  p  alse — the  intermissions  between  the 
beats  being  the  same. 

8.  The  irregular  pulse — the  intervals  being  irregu- 
lar. 

9.  The  intermittent — where  some  pulsations  are 
wanting. 

10.  The  gaseous  pulse — giving  the  idea  of  air  instead 
of  blood  filling  the  vessel — the  soap-bubble  pulse  of  Dr. 
Rush,  as  it  was  unfortunately  called. 

Following  this  Dr.  Hosack  adds,  "The  manner  of 
feeling  the  pulse  merits  some  attention." 

1.  Do  not  feel  the  pulse  too  soon  after  you  have 
entered  the  room.  Allow  the  first  impressions  made 
upon  your  patient  to  subside  by  referring  him  to  some 
new  object. 

2.  Let  your  patient's  arm  lie  in  an  easy  position, 


My  Medical  Library  263 

so  that  the  pulse  may  not  be  excited  by  the  action  of  the 
muscles,  as  would  be  the  case  in  extending  the  arm  to 
the  physician. 

3.  For  the  reason,  if  your  patient  has  just  been 
getting  out  of  bed,  or  has  been  moved  in  bed,  wait  for 
the  subsidence  of  such  movement. 

4.  Do  not  exclusively  confine  yourselves  to  the 
pulse  at  the  wrist — sometimes  the  carotids  or  temporal 
arteries  manifest  the  chief  irritation  of  the  disease. 

5.  In  feeling  the  pulse,  make  use  of  two  fingers 
instead  of  one — they  correct  each  other's  sensations. 

6.  This  leads  me  to  observe  that  for  this  purpose  it 
will  be  important  for  you  to  cultivate  a  nice  sense  of 
feeling  at  the  extremities  of  your  fingers.  This  you  will 
best  do  by  the  practice  of  wearing  gloves — at  the  same 
time  that  you  thereby  preserve  your  hands  at  a  proper 
temperature,  so  as  thereby  to  ascertain  the  temperature. 
(As  the  reader  will  bear  in  mind,  this  was  long  before 
the  fever  thermometer  had  come  in^  general  use. ) 

Among  other  works  on  internal  medicine  I  have  a 
two-volume  treatise  by  George  B.  Wood  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania  and  which  I  prize  very  highly. 
Wood's  Practice  was  first  issued  in  1847,  and  was  a 
standard  for  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  thereafter. 

Like  all  works  in  what  may  be  termed  the  pre-bac- 
terial  period  Wood  devotes  his  two  or  three  first  chap- 
ters to  General  Pathology  and  the  chief  foundation 
stone  in  this  was  inflammation ;  for  in  the  old  days  In- 
flammation occupied  as  important  a  place  in  pathology 
as  do  micro-organisms  in  the  pathology  of  today.  I 
have  no  purpose  to  minimize  the  importance  of  inflam- 
mation ;  for  while  it  was  made  much  of  in  the  old  day, 
it  was  nevertheless  of  great  consequence  then  and  it  is 
yet  to  be  reckoned  with. 

As  the  reader  will  notice  below  I  quote  liberally 
from  Watson  the  favorite  author  of  my  student-days 


264  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

— so  much  of  a  favorite  indeed,  that  I  used  to  call 
the  copy  I  possess  my  Medical  Bible.  This  copy 
by  the  way  was  published  in  1858,  through  the 
course  of  lectures  from  which  it  was  made  up  was  de- 
livered twenty  years  previously,  but  of  course  brought 
up-to-date.  Watson  was,  however,  always  in  advance  of 
his  day  as  the  following  first  propounded  in  1837  will 
show.  "Indeed  I  believe  that  these  cases  of  puerperal 
fever  occurring  in  succession  to  the  same  practitioner, 
are  examples  of  something  more  than  ordinary  con- 
tagion through  the  medium  of  the  atmosphere.  I  believe 
them  to  be  instances  of  direct  inoculation.  Recollect  that 
the  hand  of  the  accoucher  is  brought,  almost  of  necessity, 
into  frequent  contact  with  the  uterine  fluids  of  the  newly- 
made  mother.  Recollect — those  of  you  who  have  ex- 
amined the  interior  of  the  dead  body  with  your  own 
hands — recollect  with  what  tenacity  the  smell,  which  is 
thus  contracted,  clings  to  the  fingers  in  spite  of  re- 
peated washings ;  and  whilst  this  odor  remains  there 
must  remain  also  the  matter  which  produces  it.  Rec- 
ollect how  minute  a  quantity  of  an  animal  poison  may 
be  sufficient  to  corrupt  the  whole  mass  of  blood,  and  fill 
the  body  with  loathsome  and  fatal  disease.  Illustrations 
will  occur  to  you  in  the  inoculated  smallpox,  in  hydro- 
phobia, in  the  viper  bite,  in  the  scratches  and  punctures 
of  the  dissecting-room.  Recollect  the  raw  and  abraded 
parts  ocncerned  in  parturition;  the  interior  of  the 
uterus  forming  a  large  wound  and  presenting,  as  Cru- 
veilhier  has  observed,  an  exact  analogy  to  the  surface 
of  a  stump  after  amputation ;  the  more  external  parts 
bruised  and  sore.  Bear  in  mind  the  remarkable  fact, 
that  this  contagion  does  not  affect  other  persons,  but 
only  lying-in  women.  Reflecting  upon  these  facts,  you 
will  see  too  much  likelihood  in  the  dreadful  suspicion, 
that  the  hand  which  is  relied  upon  for  succor  in  the 
painful  and  perilous  hour  of  childbirth,  and  which  is 
invoked  to  secure  the  safety  of  both  mother  and  child, 


My  Medical  Library  265 

but  especially  of  the  mother,  may  literally  iecome  the 
innocent  cause  of  her  destruction;  innocent  no  longer, 
however  if  after  warning  aand  knowledge  of  the  risk, 
suitable  means  are  not  used  to  avert  a  catastrophe  so 
shocking. 

''In  these  days  of  readij  invention,  a  glove,  I  think, 
might  he  devised,  which  should  he  imprevious  to  fluids, 
and  yet  so  thin  and  pliant  as  not  to  interfere  materially 
with  the  delicate  sense  of  touch  required  in  these  manipu- 
lations. One  s^ich  glove,  if  such  shall  ever  he  fahricated 
and  adopted,  might  well  he  sacrificed  to  the  safety  of  the 
mother,  in  every  labor." 

Think  of  these  sentiments  and  suggestions  uttered 
and  made  ninety-odd  years  ago !  Uttered,  too,  when 
practically  every  prominent  obstetrician  the  world- 
over  believed  puerperal  sepsis  to  be  an  essential  fever — 
as  much  so,  indeed,  as  typhus  or  typhoid.  Uttered  five 
or  six  years  before  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  pub- 
lished his  remarkable  paper  in  1843,  emphasizing  the 
fact  that  puerperal  fever  is  contagious  and  is  often  con- 
veyed by  both  physician  and  nurse.  Uttered  ten  years 
before  the  immortal  Semmelweis  did  his  era-making  work 
in  demonstrating  that  child-bed  fever  is  a  highly  con- 
tagious malady  and  that  he  and  his  fellow  students  in 
the  great  Lying-in- Hospital  of  Vienna  had  all  been  inno- 
cent purveyors  of  decaying  animal  matter  that  was  the 
deadly  infecting  agent. 

The  reader  may  wonder  that  Watson  would  include 
puerperal  fever  in  his  list  of  subjects  on  Practice;  but 
for  this  there  were  two  reasons.  First  in  that  day  puer- 
peral fever,  as  said  elsewhere,  was  deemed  an  essential 
fever ;  secondly,  lecturers  on  practice  in  that  day  pre- 
sented many  diseases  given  over  to  the  specialists  later. 

Flint's  Practice  I  did  not  come  to  appreciate  until 
later.    But  in  addition  to  being  the  most  concise  work  on 


266  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Practice  in  the  Civil  War  era,  it  was,  moreover,  the  best 
arranged  and  more  systematic  than  many  of  the  others. 
Speaking  of  conciseness,  however,  Hartshorn's  Essen- 
tials of  Practice  headed  the  list.  This  was  a  small  12mo 
that  got  at  the  pith  of  ailments  both  as  regards  descrip- 
tion, diagnosis  and  treatment. 

Loomis'  Practice,  which  came  out  first  in  the  mid- 
eighties  was  beyond  criticism;  and  the  same  could  be 
said  of  Bartholow's  work  which  appeared  some  years 
earlier.  Osier's  Practice  appeared  in  the  nineties  and 
was  for  its  day  what  Flint  had  been  in  his  time — plain, 
concise,  complete.  Indeed,  Osier  was  the  Flint  of  his 
day  as  Flint  was  the  unconscious  prophet  and  forerunner 
of  Osier  in  his. 

The  publication  of  Ziemsen's  Cyclopedia  of  Prac- 
tical Medicine  began  in  1874  and  I  subscribed  for  it  and 
have  never  had  occasion  to  regret  it.  This  was  printed 
in  large  clear  type  and  bound  in  sheep.  It  was  the  first 
work  to  herald  the  germ  theory  of  disease,  then  just 
being  accepted  by  a  very  few,  in  this  country.  The 
work  was  made  up  of  a  series  of  monographs  by  able 
German  physicians. 

The  introductory  chapter  was  on  infectious  diseases 
and  in  this  all  that  was  known  relative  to  this  class  of 
ailments  was  set  forth  and  much  that  has  since  come  to 
be  known  was  predicted.  Liebermeister,  the  author  of 
this  chapter,  boldly  asserted  that  "The  poisons  of  in- 
fectious diseases  can  reproduce  themselves,  and  to  an 
unlimited  extent."  All  the  monographs  in  Ziemsen 
were  full  and  embraced  a  well-considered  history  of  the 
disease  under  discussion  together  of  course  with  its  na- 
ture, pathology,  causation,  symptoms,  diagnosis  and 
treatment.  Liebermeister 's  article  on  typhoid,  written 
full  fifty  years  ago,  is  in  large  degree  up  to  date.  The 
typhoid  bacillus  had  not  then  been  discovered,  but  Lieb- 
ermeister predicted  that  it  soon  would  be,  and  a  very 


My  Medical  LroRABY  267 

few  years  revealed  him  a  true  prophet.  Liebermeister 
called  typhoid  abdominal  typhus,  and,  as  we  have  seen, 
George  B  Wood  bestowed  upon  it  the  name  enteric 
fever,  but  the  appelation  typhoid,  given  the  ailment 
by  Louis,  the  celebrated  French  clinician,  nearly  one 
hundred  years  ago,  perhaps  will  always  endure. 

The  last  volume  of  Ziemsen,  Volume  XX,  was 
wholly  devoted  to  a  very  full  and  satisfactory  index. 
What  was  unusual  in  a  Cyclopedia  of  the  Practice  of 
Medicine  coming  from  the  press  when  Ziemsen  did,  one 
volume  was  devoted  to  diseases  of  females  and  another 
to  diseases  of  the  skin.  My  experience  has  been  that  the 
German  does  not  translate  into  as  readable  English  as 
does  the  French,  nevertheless  I  have  found  in  Ziemsen 
a  veritable  mine  of  useful  and  helpful  information. 

Many  years  ago  I  bought  a  copy  of  Dr.  J.  M.  Da 
Costa's  Medical  Diagnosis  and  I  have  always  found  it 
very,  very  helpful — this  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  I 
have  since  added  Butler,  Cabot  and  Hare.  But  DaCosta 
as  a  diagnostician  was  my  first  love  and  I  have  never 
swayed  from  my  devotion  to  him.  Like  Flint,  he  is 
clear-cut,  concise,  knows  when  he  has  made  his  point  and 
quits  when  he  has  made  it. 

My  work  on  the  obstetrics  was  by  Bedford  of  New 
York,  made  up  of  lectures  delivered  to  his  classes  at 
Bellevue  Medical  College.  His  style  was  attractive 
and  what  he  had  to  say  made  easy  reading.  Unlike 
Hodge  and  Meigs  of  Philadelphia,  Bedford  was  a  be- 
liever in  the  contagious  character  of  puerperal  fever 
and  he  inculcated  care  and  cleanliness  on  the  part  of 
doctors  and  nurses.  Naturally  I  have  added  later  works 
on  obstetrics  to  my  library,  but  none  of  them  have  wholly 
displaced  Bedford  who  long  ago  ingrained  many  of  his 
teachings  into  my  medical  make-up. 

Druitt's  System  of  Modern  Surgery,  a  veritable 
multum  in  parvo,  answered  my  purposes  admirably  in 
my  student  days  and  when  I  was  a  young  practitioner, 


268  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

later  I  purchased  Bryant,  Ashurst's  three  volume  work 
and  Wythe.  Meanwhile  I  added  other  works  on  surgery 
to  my  collection.  Among  these  were  John  Syng  Dor- 
sey's  Surgery  which  appeared  in  the  early  part  of  the 
19th  century  and  was  the  second  work  on  surgery  issued 
from  the  American  press  by  a  native  author.  Dr.  Dor- 
sey  was  a  nephew  of  Philip  Syng  Physick,  the  "father 
of  American  Surgery,"  and  a  pupil  of  John  Hunter. 
I  also  have  a  copy  of  the  Surgery  of  James  Syme,  a 
great  Scottish  surgeon  of  a  hundred  years  ago.  He  is 
said  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  dextrous  and  rapid 
operators  in  all  surgical  history.  Moreover,  he  was 
spoken  of  as  a  "genial,  happy,  even-tempered  man,  who 
'  never  wasted  a  word,  a  drop  of  ink,  nor  a  drop  of  blood, ' 
yet  a  broad-minded,  liberal  spirit  withal,  welcoming  all 
surgical  innovations  of  value."  He  was  one  of  the  first 
European  operators  to  adopt  ether  anesthesia  (1847). 
He  was  the  preceptor  and  father-in-law  of  the  world- 
renowned  Joseph  Lister  and  moreover,  one  of  the  first 
to  accept  listerism   (antisepsis)  in  surgery. 

I  have  a  copy  of  George  McClellan's  surgery.  George 
McClellan  was  a  noted  Philadelphia  surgeon  near  the 
middle  of  the  19th  century  and  he  was  the  father  of 
General  George  B.  McClellan  of  Civil  War  fame.  Furth- 
ermore I  have  Miller's  surgery  whose  author  was  an 
eminent  London  surgeon  two  generations  ago.  I  also 
have  the  two-volume  work  of  S.  D.  Gross,  one  of  the 
fullest  and  most  complete  works  in  the  English  language 
in  its  time.  This  like  all  else  that  Gross  put  in  print 
was  very  readable. 

I  have  Paget 's  Surgical  pathology,  which  is  all  but 
as  readable  as  Watson.  Sir  James  Paget  was  a  great 
English  surgeon  whose  life  covered  the  greater  part  of 
the  19th  century. 

Another  English  work  of  the  middle  of  the  19th 
century  is  a  small  volume  embodying  the  lectures  of 


My  Medical  LreRARY  269 

John  Simon  on  General  Pathology.  Simon  defined 
disease  as  follows,  "Nature  gives  a  certain  habit  and 
method  of  working  to  the  body — a  certain  law  or  norma 
of  action ;  any  departure  from  this  norma — anything 
abnormal  in  the  action  of  the  body  constitutes  disease." 
In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  give 
the  definition  of  disease  by  C.  J.  B.  Williams,  a  noted 
English  clinician  of  the  last  century  and  which  is  as  fol- 
lows: "Disease  is  a  changed  condition  or  proportion  of 
function  or  structure  of  one  or  more  parts  of  the  body. ' ' 
Williams'  definition  I  can  but  regard  as  one  of  the  most 
complete  and  yet  concise  of  any  that  I  can  now  recall. 

Williams'  Principles  of  Medicine  was  a  classic  when 
I  was  a  student  and  was  highly  recommended  by  some 
of  my  instructors,  but  I  fear  I  failed  to  get  as  much 
from  it  as  I  might. 

I  have  a  number  of  old  classics  among  which  I  may 
name  Cullen's  First  Lines  of  the  Practice  of  Physic. 
Cullen  was  a  great  English  Physician  who  lived  in  the 
18th  century  and  exercised  a  profound  influence  on  the 
medicine  of  his  day. 

Another  classic  is  Commentaries  on  the  History  and 
Cure  of  Disease  by  William  Heberden,  a  contemporary 
of  Cullen  and  a  fine  classical  scholar  and  withal  a  close 
and  careful  clinical  observer.  He  was  the  first  to  de- 
scribe angina  pectoris  and  bestow  upon  it  the  name  it 
yet  retains.  Speaking  of  this  disease  he  says  in  his 
Commentaries,  "I  have  seen  nearly  a  hundred  people 
under  this  disorder,  of  which  there  have  been  three 
women,  and  one  boy  twelve  years  old.  All  the  rest  were 
men  near,  or  past  the  fiftieth  year  of  their  age."  He- 
berden describes  pulmonary  tuberculosis  under  the 
name  of  Phthisis  Pulmonum  and  he  says,  "A  consump- 
tion appears  by  the  London  bills  of  mortality  to  be  in 
the  city  the  most  destructive  of  all  maladies  to  adults; 
one  in  four  of  those  that  grow  up  to  manhood  being  re- 


270         Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

ported  to  be  carried  off  by  this  distemper."  Thus  two 
hundred  years  ago  tuberculosis  would  seem  to  be  nearly 
twice  as  deadly  in  its  ravages  as  it  is  today. 

Heberden  says  further,  "In  England  we  have  little 
apprehension  of  the  contagious  nature  of  consumption; 
of  which  in  other  countries  they  are  fully  persuaded." 

Wlien  Heberden  wrote  his  Commentaries  the  desig- 
nation tubercle  had  no  existence  as  we  now  know  it, 
hence  the  following  sage  observations,  "Dissection  of 
those  who  have  died  of  pulmonary  consumptions,  have 
acquainted  me,  that  their  lungs  are  full  of  little  glan- 
dular swellings,  many  of  which  are  in  a  state  of  sup- 
puration. They  appear  to  be  of  the  same  nature  as  the 
strumous  swellings  in  the  neck,  but  must  always  be  more 
dangerous,  because  the  texture  of  the  lungs  disposes 
them  to  spread,  and  because  the  office  of  the  lungs  is 
necessary  to  life,  so  that  they  cannot  be  greatly  injured 
without  the  worst  effects  upon  life." 

Great  as  were  the  ravages  of  pulmonary  consumption 
in  Heberden 's  day,  yet  he  notes  some  remarkable  recov- 
eries from  that  ailment  as  the  following  shows:  "This 
was  the  case  with  that  very  ingenious  and  learned  phy- 
sician, Sir  Edward  Wilmot,  who,  as  he  told  me,  when 
he  was  a  youth,  was  so  far  gone  in  consumption,  that  the 
celebrated  Dr.  Radcliffe,  whom  he  consulted,  gave  his 
friends  no  hope  of  his  recovery ;  yet  he  lived  to  be  above 
ninety  years  old." 

If  we  should  meet  a  medical  friend  and  he  should 
say  he  had  just  been  waiting  on  a  patient  who  had  been 
the  victim  of  lipothymia ;  we  should  be  at  a  loss  to  un- 
derstand what  the  nature  of  the  ailment  was;  yet  lipo- 
thymia was  Heberden 's  designation  for  sjmcqpe,  or  a 
fainting  fit. 

I  can  think  of  no  old  author  more  pleasant  to  read 
than  Heberden.    He  died  in  1801  in  his  91st  year. 

I  have  an  old  work  by  Sydenham,  "On  Acute  and 
Chronic  Diseases,"  printed  in  1668,  which  is  interesting 


My  Medical  LroRARY  271 

mainly  from  its  quaintness.  Sydenham  lived  in  the  time 
of  Charles  I  and  Cromwell.  He  was  undoubtedly  a 
great  clinician  and  insisted  that  the  only  place  to  leam 
medicine  is  at  the  bedside.  He  was  a  contemporary  of 
Harvey,  the  discoverer  of  the  circulation,  but  took  no 
interest  in  this  achievement  as  the  scientific  side  of 
medicine  offered  no  attractions  to  him.  He  had  very 
much  to  do  in  introducing  the  use  of  Peruvian  bark  in 
England.  He  regarded  horseback  riding  as  an  almost 
certain  cure  for  consumption,  and  of  this  he  says,  "But 
the  best  remedy  hitherto  discovered  in  this  case,  is  rid- 
ing sufficiently  long  journeys  on  horseback,  provided 
this  exercise  be  long  enough  continued;  observing  that 
the  middle-aged  must  persist  in  it  much  longer  than 
children  or  young  persons.  For,  in  reality  the  Peruvian 
bark  is  not  more  curative  of  an  intermittant  fever,  than 
riding  is  of  consumption  at  this  time  of  life. ' ' 

Sydenham's  ideals  in  his  profession  may  in  part  be 
gathered  from  the  following  quotation  from  his  works: 
"In  writing  therefore  a  history  of  diseases,  every 
philosophical  hypothesis,  which  hath  prepossessed  the 
writer  in  its  favor,  ought  to  be  totally  laid  aside,  and 
then  the  manifest  and  natural  phenomena  of  diseases, 
however  minute,  must  be  noted  with  absolute  accuracy, 
imitating  in  this  the  great  exactness  of  painters  who  in 
their  pictures  copy  the  smallest  spots  or  moles  in  the 
originals. ' ' 

Among  a  number  of  books  in  mj^  possession  dating 
back  to  the  last  half  of  the  18th  century  and  the  first 
half  of  the  19th,  may  be  named  James  Lind's  Essay  on 
"Diseases  Incidental  to  Hot  Climates  with  the  Method 
of  Preventing  their  Fatal  Consequences." 

Yellow  fever  was  the  disease  most  frequently  en- 
countered and  a  routine  treatment  at  the  inception  of 
this  disease  was  a  free  administration  of  James'  powders 
made  by  combining  in  a  heated  crucible  horn-shavings 
and  tersulphate  of  antimony  which  left  a  white  powder. 


272  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

This  was  freely  administered  until  purging  followed, 
meantime  the  patient  was  bled,  blistered  and  later 
purged  again  if  the  need  arose.  Such  was  the  heroic 
treatment  recommended  by  Dr.  Lind  who  was  a  recog- 
nized authority  on  tropical  diseases. 

Dr.  Lind  refers  to  a  curious  custom  resorted  to  by 
some  of  his  predecessors  in  the  treatment  of  tropical 
diseases.  On  the  theory  that  the  blood  was  the  vulner- 
able part  in  the  bodies  of  early-arrived  persons,  they 
were  subjected  to  frequent  bleedings  while  yet  in  health, 
till  as  much  blood  was  removed  as  it  was  thought  their 
bodies  contained,  meantime  they  drank  freely  of  water 
and  ate  heartily  of  food ;  this  on  the  theory  that  native 
water  and  native  food  would  create  native  blood,  so  to 
speak,  that  would  have  the  power  of  resisting  native 
diseases.  This  was  what  might  be  called  heroic  pre- 
ventive medicine.  It  need  hardly  be  added  that  about 
all  the  effect  it  had  was  to  weaken  the  subject  and  make 
all  the  more  liable  to  infection — or,  as  we  would  say 
today  it  lowered  resistance. 

Lind 's  Essay  is  a  classic  and  there  is  appended  to  the 
fine  old  leather-bound  volume  containing  it  an  extended 
article  on  Intermittent  Fever. 

Speaking  of  intermittents  reminds  me  that  I  have 
another  fine  old  leather-bound  book  entitled  "A  Treat- 
ise on  Malignant  Intermittents"  by  J.  J.  Alibert  of 
Paris  and  who  describes  among  other  varieties  a  ceph- 
alic intermittent  in  which,  ''Two  sides  of  the  body  ex- 
hibited different  symptoms,  the  right  was  affected  with 
paralysis ;  the  left  with  catalepsy. ' ' 

Another  work  corresponding  in  appearance  to  the 
two  last-named  above  dates  back  to  the  last  years  of 
the  18th  century  and  is  entitled,  "Practical  Observations 
on  the  Diseases  of  the  Army  in  Jamaica."  (As  they  oc- 
curred between  the  years  1792  and  1797)  by  William 
Lampier.  In  addition  to  malarial  cases  of  malignant 
form  and  yellow  fever  the  soldiers  and  inhabitants  alike 


My  Medical,  Library  273 

in  Jamaica  were  subject  to  ulcers  of  an  obstinate  and 
often  fatal  type.  It  is  quite  possible  that  this  ulceration 
was  a  peculiar  manifestation  of  scrofula.  However,  an 
ulcer  frightful  in  extent  and  seriousness  would  often 
result  from  the  merest  scratch  or  abrasion  of  the  skin. 

The  poison,  or  infecting  virus,  of  these  ulcers  was 
believed  to  have  been  often  conveyed  by  flies.  Says  the 
author,  "In  a  country  where  ulceration  so  easily  is  in- 
duced, and  where  the  discharges  of  ulcers  often  are  of 
the  most  acrid  and  offensive  kind,  a  communication  of 
this  matter  to  the  sound  part  of  the  patient  from  whose 
ulcer  it  is  produced,  or  to  that  of  any  other  of  the  sick, 
frequently  will  give  rise  to  fresh  ulcerations;  and  when 
applied  to  other  ulcers  it  never  fails  to  render  them 
worse.  The  dressing  of  ulcers  never  should  be  intrusted 
to  the  charge  of  orderly  men  who  act  as  nurses;  and 
certainly  it  is  important  that  each  patient  has  a  sponge, 
water,  and  dressing  to  himself ;  that  the  surgeon  is  ex- 
ceedingly cautious  in  cleaning  his  instruments  after  he 
has  used  them,  and  that  the  bandages  and  linen  be  not 
intermixed,  and  be  as  frequently  washed  as  circum- 
stances will  admit."  For  its  time  this  advice  was  cer- 
tainly remarkable  no  less  than  valuable  and  in  many 
particulars  far  ahead  of  the  procession,  as  it  were. 


XXIII 

''OUR  SINGING  DOCTOR" 

And  How  I  Came  to  be  the  Author  of  a 
Beautiful  Poem 
The  singer  who  lived  is  always  alive;  we  hearken  and 
always  hear. 

John  Boyle  O'Riley. 

AS  elsewhere  stated,  I  served  as  Secretary  of  the  Aes- 
.  eulapian  Society  of  the  Wabash  Valley  for  a  period 
of  ten  years — from  1876  to  1886. 

During  this  period  the  Society  had  a  rare  accession 
to  its  membership  in  the  person  of  Dr.  James  Newton 
Matthews  of  Mason,  Illinois,  a  gifted  poet.  In  the  truest 
sense  of  the  word  Dr.  Matthews  was  a  Country  Doctor, 
and  as  such  spent  his  life  in  the  little  Southern  Illinois 
village  where  he  grew  up  and  later  gave  his  professional 
services  to  the  plain,  simple  folks  that  made  up  the  com- 
munity. Those  who  knew  Dr.  Matthews  best  could  but 
feel  that  he  was  well  worthy  of  more  of  the  good  things 
of  life  than  came  to  him  from  the  material  side,  for  he 
was  one  whom  to  know  was  to  love.  He  was  a  born  poet 
and  of  the  Whittier  stamp,  and  though  he  wrote  and 
published  no  little,  yet  never  printed  a  bad  line. 

The  year  1886  was  the  Fortieth  Anniversary  of  the 
organization  of  the  Aesculapian  and  in  honor  of  this  it 
was  decided  to  have  a  banquet,  toasts  and  the  usual 
etceteras.  It  devolved  on  me  to  get  up  the  program 
and  in  assigning  toasts  I  sent  Dr.  Matthews  the  follow- 
ing :  ' '  They  had  no  poet  and  so  they  died. ' ' 

In  a  few  days  I  had  a  letter  from  him  asking  who  the 
quotation  was  from  and  making  some  further  inquiries. 

274 


OuB  Singing  Doctor  275 

In  reply  I  said  the  line  was  from  Horace  and  answered 
his  other  questions  as  satisfactorily  as  I  could. 

In  due  time  came  the  date  for  our  banquet  and 
brought  with  it  a  raw,  cold  night.  But  we  braved  the 
weather  and  soon  after  getting  rid  of  our  hats,  overcoats 
and  other  wraps,  sat  down  to  a  table  loaded  with  the 
good  things  common  to  the  hoard  a  generation  ago  in 
that  fattest  of  fat  lands,  the  Illinois  Corn  Belt.  Whether 
it  was  the  sharp  edge  of  the  "snappy"  weather,  or 
^  whether  it  was  the  exceptionally  tempting  quality  of  the 
food,  at  any  rate,  all  feasted  till  the  inner  man  was  fully 
satisfied.  Next,  cigars  were  brought  in  and  the  atmos- 
phere that  had  been  roasted  by  a  red-hot  stove  was 
saturated  and  darkened  by  tobacco  smoke  till  the  dim 
light  of  the  three  or  four  coal  oil  lamps  could  hardly 
penetrate  it.  Then  it  was  that  with  guests  unduly 
feasted  with  the  room  unduly  heated,  with  its  atmos- 
phere unduly  clouded,  the  Toastmaster  with  his 
knuckles,  duly  rapped  attention  on  the  table  before  him. 

In  response  to  the  toast,  "Our  Older  Members",  good 
old  Doctor  M.  read  a  long  paper  that  from  beginning  to 
end  was  devoid  of  both  pith  and  point.  Moreover,  dur- 
ing the  delivery,  or  rather  reading,  of  this  he  kept  his 
seat,  kept  on  his  hat  and  pulled  this  down  over  his  ears 
under  the  plea  that  he  was  "afraid  of  catching  cold." 
An  unsympathetic  brother  whispered  in  my  ear  that  in 
that  room  there  was  vastly  more  danger  of  "catching 
heat," — an  observation  that  I  could  but  endorse. 

A  little  later  in  response  to  the  toast,  '  *  Our  Younger 
Members,"  a  young  and  recently  graduated  M.  D.  read 
a  paper  in  a  trembling  voice  and  meantime  remained 
seated  and  kept  on  his  hat  as  had  his  older  predecessor 
during  his  response.  All  this  was  too  much  for  the  self- 
contained,  sarcastic  speaker  who  followed  and  spoke  for 
the  ' '  Stalwarts. ' '  This  was  none  other  than  the  brilliant- 
minded  and  fluent  speaker,  Dr.  John  Morgan  McKown, 


276  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

referred  to  elsewhere  as  the  writer  of  the  remarkable  set 
of  resolutions  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Aeseulapian  at 
Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  He  always  spoke  extempore  and 
on  this  occasion  began  by  saying,  "The  course  pursued 
by  other  members  this  evening  tempted  me  when  my 
time  came,  not  only  to  remain  seated,  not  only  to  put  on 
my  hat,  but  to  put  on  my  overcoat,  my  muffler,  my  gloves 
and  my  overshoes,  as  well.  For  when  thus  attired  Mr. 
Toastmaster,  if  I  am  to  profit  by  examples  set  before  me 
on  this  occasion,  I  would  be  in  fit  array  to  address  you." 
Following  the  always  interesting  Dr.  McKown  were 
other  speakers  who  like  most  country  doctors  were  ill  at 
ease  when  trying  to  think  and  talk  on  their  feet.  Finally 
when  all  the  toasts  but  the  last  had  been  responded  to, 
the  Toastmaster*  arose  and  said  he  ' '  deemed  the  Aeseula- 
pian especially  fortunate  in  having  among  its  members  a 
most  gifted  poet,  and  hence  for  not  being  blessed  in  this 
way  we  could  but  look  with  pity  upon  most  of  our  Sister 
Medical  Societies.  However,  being  ourselves  possessed 
with  a  'Singing  Doctor'  it  is  now  my  most  enjoyable 
privilege  to  introduce  our  most  esteemed  colleague,  Dr. 
James  Newton  Matthews  who  will  respond  to  the  toast, 
*  They  had  no  poet  and  so  they  died. '  ' ' 

Our  ' '  Singing  Doctor ' '  modestly  arose  and  in  earnest 
tones  read  the  following : 

THEY  HAD  NO  POET  AND  SO  THEY  DIED 

In  the  dim  waste  land  of  the  Orient  stands 

The  wreck  of  a  race  so  old  and  vast, 
That  the  grayest  legends  can  not  lay  hands 

On  a  single  fact  of  its  tongueless  past; 
Not  even  the  red  gold  crown  of  a  king. 

Nor  even  a  warrior's  shield,  nor  aught  beside, 
Can  history  out  of  the  ruins  wring, — 

They  had  no  poet  and  so  they  died. 

Babel  and  Nineveh,  what  are  they, 

But  feeble  hints  of  a  passing  power 
That  over  the  populous  East  held  sway, 

*  Dr.  Z.  T.  Baum  of  Paris,  Illinois. 


Ja:me.s  Newton  Matthews 


ArsTix  Flint 


Illinois  State  Medical  Society 
Badge  1916 


Our  Singing  Doctor  277 

In  a  dream  of  pomp  for  a  paltry  hour? 
A  toppled  tower  and  a  shattered  stone, 

Where  the  satyrs  dance  and  the  dragons  hide, 
Is  all  that  is  known  of  the  glory  flown, — 

They  had  no  poet  and  so  they  died. 

Down  where  the  dolorous  Congo  slips. 

Like  a  tawny  snake,  thro'  the  torrid  clime, 
Man's  soul  has  slept  in  a  cold  eclipse. 

On  the  world's  dark  rim  since  the  dawn  of  time; 
And  if  ever  an  ancient  Nubian  wrought 

A  work  of  beauty,  or  strength  or  pride. 
It  was  unrecorded  and  goes  for  naught, — 

They  had  no  poet  and  so  they  died. 

And  even  here  in  the  sun-crowned  West, 

In  the  land  we  love,  in  the  vales  we've  trod, 
Where  the  bleeding  palms  of  the  world  find  rest 

On  freedom's  lap,  at  the  feet  of  Gk)d, — 
Even  here,  I  say,  ere  the  world  waxed  old, 

A  race  Titanic  did  once  abide, 
But,  ah!  their  story  is  left  untold, — 

They  had  no  poet  and  so  they  died. 

The  same  old  tale!  and  so  it  will  be. 

As  long  as  the  heavens  feed  the  stars, — 
As  long  as  the  tribes  of  men  shall  see 

A  lesser  glory  in  arts  than  wars; 
And  so  let  us  live  and  labor  and  pray, 

As  down  we  glide  with  the  darkling  tide, 
That  never  a  singer  of  us  may  say. 

They  had  no  poet  and  so  they  died. 

My  feelings  while  Dr.  Matthews  was  reading  his 
beautiful  poem  and  for  a  time  after  he  had  sat  down 
can  perhaps  be  better  imagined  than  described.  I  was 
thrilled,  through  and  through,  and  hard,  indeed,  was  it 
for  me  to  realize  that  the  seemingly  simple  line  I  had 
selected  for  a  toast  for  our  poet-doctor  should  be  as  the 
planting  of  the  seed  for  the  production  of  an  exquisite 
composition.  I  felt  like  I  imagine  one  feels  who  is  per- 
mitted to  withdraw  the  curtain  from  a  rare  painting  and 
for  the  first  time  allow  the  world  to  look  upon  its  beauty. 

Up  to  this  time  I  had  enjoyed  only  a  little  more  than 


278  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

a  speaking  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Matthews.  Later  a 
contribution  I  had  made  to  a  literary  periodical  drew 
from  him  a  friendly  letter.  Just  a  little  while  before  I 
had  seen  his  poem,  "The  Old  Fireplace,"  and  as  I  read 
it  with  great  delight  it  was  only  fair  that  I  should  write 
him  about  it.  Later  still  he  was  my  guest  and  his  mod- 
esty and  amiability  in  every  way  won  and  ever  after 
retained  my  esteem  and  friendship.  Another  time  he 
was  my  guest  when  James  Whitcomb  Riley  gave  one  of 
his  famous  readings  in  Champaign  and  he,  too,  became 
my  guest  for  a  night  and  day,  and  to  see  and  hear  these 
two  truly-born  poets  was  a  rare  treat. 

Recurring  to  the  poem  read  at  the  Aesculpian  in 
response  to  the  toast,  "They  had  no  poet  and  so  they 
died,"  I  met  Dr.  Matthews  shortly  after  its  delivery  and 
told  him  I  owed  him  an  apology.  And  when  he  asked 
what  for,  I  said  I  had  been  guilty  of  a  misquotation, 
that  in  the  line  given  him  from  Horace,  "so"  was  inad- 
vertently supplied  by  me,  and  that  its  proper  reading 
was,  "They  had  no  poet  and  they  died."  He  smiled 
and  said  in  reply,  "Why  I  never  could  have  written  the 
poem  had  the  so  been  left  out. ' ' 

Thus  my  reader  will  see  that  there  is  a  double  reason 
why  I  can  justly  claim  to  be  the  "author  of  a  beautiful 
poem," — though  no  poet  myself. 

I  cannot  forbear  quoting  some  things  from  my  gifted 
poet-friend  now  long  since  gone  to  his  reward.  One  of 
his  poems  is  entitled : 

WITH  THE  DOCTOR 

"Mother,  make  room  in  the  bed  for  me," 

A  shivering  child  in  the  garret  cried, 
As  the  plague  swept  up  like  a  crimson  sea 

To  his  face  so  faded  and  hollow-eyed. 
Into  her  lifted  and  withered  arms 

He  crept,  and  there  on  her  wasted  breast 
Was  cradled  away  from  the  world's  alarms, 

To  the  dreamless  calm  of  a  perfect  rest. 


Our  Singing  Doctor  279 


It  mellowed  my  heart  like  a  shower  of  prayers, 

When  the  morning  rose  with  a  lurid  glare 
On  the  empty  town,  and  I  climbed  the  stairs 

And  gazed  on  the  pale,  cold  sleepers  there. 
As  I  galloped  away  with  a  stifling  sigh 

From  the  pest-house  gates,  I  fashioned  this  plea, 
With  a  sad  face  fixed  on  the  sunless  sky, 

"Thus,  Father,  0  Father,  make  room  for  me." 

In  another  poem  Dr.  Matthews  refers  to  the  old  time 
doctor  as  follows : 

Tho'  the  future  may  flout  them  and  scout  them. 
The  world  had  been  sadder  without  them; 
Tho'  they  rest  in  their  graves  without  glory, 
Tho'  they  live  not  in  song  nor  in  story. 
No  prophet — no  priest — had  a  mission 
More  sacred  thro'  all  the  dumb  years 
Than  that  of  the  old-time  physician. 
Whose  dust  we  bedew  with  our  tears. 

In  the  following  Dr.  Matthews  all  unconsciously  de- 
picted his  own  gift  under  the  title : 

THE    WRITER 
Of  all  the  arts  in  which  the  wise  excell. 
Nature's    chief    masterpiece    is    writing   well. 

— Buckingham. 

That  man  is  master  of  the  noblest  art 

Who,  with  a  sorcery  of  speech,  has  power 
To  draw  from  out  the  dormant  soul  its  flower 

Of  warm  and  perfect  passion,  or  to  start 

With  floods  of  song  the  cascades  of  the  heart 
To  plunging  cataracts,  amidst  whose  shower 
Of  spattering  spray  a  thousand  rainbows  bower. 

And  beautify  our  lives  in  every  part. 

The    following    is   a    far    different    production    and 
should  at  least  interest  the  medical  man : 

AN   ODD   FANCY. 
Just  back  of  the  light  of  her  eyes. 

Just  under  the  pink  of  her  hands, 
Whose  velvet  the  lily  out-vies, 

A  skeleton  stands. 


280         Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 


Beneath  the  gold  crown  of  her  tress, 

And  the  clustering  gown  that  she  wears, 

And  under  the  silks  that  caress, 
A  skeleton  stares. 

Her  laughter  is  that  of  a  lover, 

Her  lips  are  as  lush  as  the  South, 

And  I  shudder  to  think  they  but  cover 
A  skeleton's  mouth. 

Her  steps  are  as  light  as  the  low 

Drip  of  dew  from  the  rim  of  a  rose, 

Yet  I  know  that  wherever  they  go 
A  skeleton  goes. 

She  sits  at  the  banquet  with  me, 

And  ever  her  loveliness  wins; 
Yet  back  of  her  beauty  I  see 

A  skeleton  grins. 

She  is  first  at  the  party  and  ball. 

And  the  grace  of  her  motion  entrances 

Like  music — yet  under  it  all 
A  skeleton  dances. 

Tho'  shocked  at  the  plight  she  is  in, 

One  thought  I  have  kept  out  of  view; 

Perhaps  she  sees  under  my  skin 
A  skeleton  too. 

Under  the  title  ' '  Our  Singing  Doctor ' '  is  the  follow- 
ing from  the  well-known  writer,  Benjamin  S.  Parker: 

(JAMES  NEWTON  MATTHEWS) 
Dear  Galen,  I  thank  thee  again  for  thy  singing. 
As  one  thanks  the  robins  that  herald  the  spring, 

When  brows  that  are  aching 

And  hearts  that  are  breaking 
Are  mended  because  of  the  promise  they  bring. 

Dr.  Matthews  died  about  fifteen  years  ago  greatly- 
mourned  by  his  little  village  and  the  community  sur- 
rounding. He  was  in  the  truest  sense  a  poet-physician 
and  many  of  his  most  beautiful  things  were  moulded  and 
shaped  in  his  mind  while  going  his  professional  rounds 
and  viewing  the  quiet  landscape  in  his  locality  and 
meeting  the  simple  folk,  his  neighbors. 


Our  Singing  Doctor  281 

Our  Singing  Poet  was  a  bosom  friend  of  James 
Whitcomb  Riley,  the  celebrated  Hoosier  Poet,  who  wrote 
the  following  to  — 

JAMES  NEWTON  MATTHEWS 

Bard  of  our  Western  world! — its  prairies  wide, 

With   edging  woods,  lost  creeks  aand   hidden    ways; 
Its  isolated  farms,  with  roundelays 

Of  orchard  warblers  heard  on  every  side; 

Its  cross-road  school-house,  wherein  still  abide 
Thy  fondest  memories — since  there  thy  gaze 
First  fell  on  classic  verse;   and  thou,  in  praise 

Of  that,  didst  find  thine  own  song  glorified. 

So  singing,  smite  the  strings  and  counterchange 
The  lucently  melodious  drippings  of 
Thy  happy  harp,  from  airs  of  "Tempe  Vale," 

To  chirp  and  trill  of  lowliest  flight  and  range, 

In  praise  of  our  To-day  and  home  and  love— 
Thou  meadow-lark  no  less  than  nightingale. 

After  Dr.  Matthews '  death  his  poems  under  the  edi- 
torship of  "William  Hurt  were  collected  and  published 
with  the  title,  "The  Lute  of  Life." 

In  his  preface  William  Hurt  said,  "Our  poet  is  too 
recent  for  a  just  renown.  Contemporaneity  is  not  fa- 
vorable to  complete  appreciation.  When  the  perspective 
of  years  shall  have  fixed  the  proportions  of  genius,  when 
Time  has  affixed  his  appraisement,  then  will  the  balance 
of  Fame  be  truly  adjusted.  In  that  day  will  James 
Newton  Matthews  come  into  his  own. 

"He  went  forth  as  a  physician  and  ministered  as  a 
priest.  He  healed  the  heart  as  well  as  the  body.  His 
religion  was  a  beautiful  optimism  that  made  better  aU 
who  came  within  its  zone.  He  never  was  known  to  speak 
ill  of  any  living  creature.  He  looked  for  the  good  in  his 
fellow-men — and  found  it. 

* '  His  heart  was  a  hospice  for  all  the  world 's  rejected. 
Great  sinners  he  enfolded  with  his  forgiving  pity,  and 
the  mantle  of  his  capacious  charity  covered  their  mul- 
titudinous defects  until  they  seemed  robed  with  right- 
eousness. ' ' 


282  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Perhaps  these  traits  of  Dr.  Matthews  could  not  be 
better  expressed  than  what  he  unwittingly  said  under 
the  title— 

NOT  A  POET 

However  gifted,  he  no  poet  is 

Who  does  not,  in  his  amplitude  of  soul. 
Infold  with  pity,  and  with  tears  condole. 

The  faults  and  failings  of  a  world  like  this — 

Who  does  not,  with  the  God-like  grace  that's  his, 
Give  love  unto  the  loveless,  and  console 
The  helpless  and  the  hopeless,  making  whole 

The  broken-hearted  with  brave  dreams  of  bliss. 

The  following  by  the  Editor  of  "The  Lute  of  Life" 
speaks  for  itself,  and  will  conclude  the  selections  from 
the  many  tributes  to  Dr.  Matthews : 

IMMORTALITY 
(In  Memory  of  James  Newton   Matthews) 

His  harp   is  hushed   and   rimmed   with   rust, 

Its  music  is  forever  mute; 
The  singer's  lips  are  dumb  in  dust — 

A  dead  hand  lies  across  the  lute. 

Yet  for  the  touch  that  Love  has  taught. 
For  sake  of  sweetness  that  it  gives, 

The  gracious  work  his  genius  wrought 
Shall  live  as  long  as  language  lives. 

—Walter  Hurt 


XXIV 

"GRIP,"  THE  GREAT  PANDEMIC  OF  THE  LATE 

EIGHTIES  AND  EARLY  NINETIES.    ' '  FLU, ' ' 

THE  GREAT  PANDEMIC  OF  1918-19 

still,  noisome,  deadly,  sleeps  the  envenomed  air,  .  .  . 

.  .  .  One  little  momenVs  breath 
Bears  on  its  viewless  wing  the  seeds  of  death. 

Holmes. 

IN  the  summer  of  1889  the  newspapers  and  medical 
jonrnals  began  to  speak  of  an  epidemic  of  influenza 
that  had  its  origin  in  the  interior  of  Turkestan,  where 
one  of  the  medical  officers  of  the  Russian  railway  recog- 
nized the  disease  and  appreciated  its  extraordinary  epi- 
demic characteristics.  From  Tiu'kestan  the  disease  ex- 
tended very  slowly  through  Russia,  but  no  slower  than 
travel  and  traffic  moving  in  that  backward  region. 

From  St.  Petersburg  it  extended  to  various  places  in 
Europe  and  December  17,  1889  the  first  case  was  noted 
in  New  York  City  and  from  thence  spread  over  the 
United  States  just  as  rapidly  as  express  and  accommo- 
dation trains  could  carry  passengers. 

As  the  last  previous  great  epidemic  of  influenza  (the 
one  in  1889  was  called  La  Grippe)  was  a  full  generation 
in  the  past  very  few  physicians  had  ever  seen  a  case. 
Indeed,  I  never  met  a  physician  who  had  seen  and 
treated  cases  of  this  disease  in  the  last  previous  epidemic. 
Thus,  naturally,  we  were  all  on  the  alert  to  see  what  the 
great  approaching  pandemic  had  in  store  for  us,  for  by 
this  time  it  had  practically  enveloped  the  whole  in- 
habited world,  even  Greenland  was  not  spared. 

Well,  in  the  early  days  of  1890  I,  in  common  with  my 
professional  brethren  had  all  the  work  that  could  be  well 
attended  to.    We  soon  noticed  that  substantially  all  the 

283 


284         Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

cases  could  be  embraced  under  three  general  classes, 
namely,  nervous,  or  febrile ;  respiratory ;  and  abdominal. 
By  far  the  greater  number  fell  in  the  first  class,  and 
patients  would  go  through  an  attack  with  no  symptoms 
other  than  what  could  be  attributed  to  the  toxins  of  the 
disease,  namely,  fever  sometimes  reaching  104°,  severe 
headache,  pain  in  the  back  and  in  the  joints. 

In  the  second  form  the  patients  would  be  seized  with 
all  the  symptoms  of  coryza,  as  sneezing  and  running 
from  the  nose  and  eyes,  then  a  little  later  there  would 
be  coughing  and  the  expectorating  of  mucus,  or  as  the 
people  expressed  it  the  disease  "had  settled  on  the 
lungs."  Meantime  there  would  be  fever,  headache  and 
pains  in  various  parts  of  the  body.  In  the  third  class  of 
cases,  in  addition  to  fever,  headache  and  pain  in  various 
localities,  there  would  be  sick  stomach  and  diarrhea  that 
would  mainly  consist  of  watery  discharges,  meanwhile 
there  would  be  practically  no  respiratory  symptoms. 

Most  of  the  patients  would  be  sick  only  three  or  four 
days,  but  in  substantially  all  instances  convalescence  was 
attended  by  extreme,  seemingly,  unaccountable,  weak- 
ness, no  matter  what  form  the  type  of  influenza  that  had 
preceded. 

I  do  not  recall  that  any  particular  class  of  persons 
were  the  favorite  victims  of  attack.  Indeed,  as  I  recall 
it  all  ages,  both  sexes  and  all  conditions,  high,  low,  rich, 
poor,  white,  and  black,  were  all  alike  sufferers  from  the 
markedly  impartial  disease.  I  would  say  that  two-thirds, 
possibly  three-fourths,  of  the  population  were  stricken 
first  or  last,  for  in  the  most  literal  sense  the  ailment  was 
upon  the  people,  that  is  to  say  it  was  really  and  truly, 
an  epidemic. 

But  while  the  morbidity'  of  the  disease  was  very  great 
its  mortality  was  surprisingly  light.  Those  who  died 
were  in  the  great  majority  of  instances  invalids,  very  old, 
or  greatly  lacking  in  vitality  from  one  or  another  cause. 


The  Great  Pandemics  285 

In  about  four  weeks  after  the  advent  of  the  epidemic 
it  had  spent  its  force  and  became  a  matter  of  history  as 
we  supposed.  But  in  this  we  were  in  error  for  with  the 
approach  of  cold  weather  during  the  winter  of  1890-1 
we  realized  that  we  were  once  more  in  the  clutches  of 
"grip"  as  we  had  come  to  call  the  influenza  epidemic. 
During  this  second  visitation  (or  trailer  as  epidemiolo- 
gists name  it)  cases  were  far  less  numerous  than  in  the 
preceding  outbreak,  but  were  much  more  severe  and  more 
liable  to  serious  complications.  In  most  instances  the 
complication  if  serious  in  character,  was  pneumonia.  The 
winter  of  1891-2  witnessed  the  coming  of  another 
"trailer"  and  if  anything  the  cases  of  pneumonia  were 
relatively  more  numerous  and  more  virulent  than  dur- 
ing the  visitation  of  1890-1. 

The  winters  of  1892-3,  1893-4  and  1894-5,  also  ex- 
perienced visitations  of  "grip."  The  years  1889-90  was 
however  the  period  of  the  great  pandemic  of  influenza. 
Later  the  disease  dropped  its  epidemic  form  and  pre- 
vailed as  an  endemic,  that  is  to  say  prevailed  in  certain 
localities  only. 

However,  the  later  epidemics  and  endemics  of  in- 
fluenza, or  "grip"  did  not  burst,  or  explode,  upon  the 
people,  as  it  were,  as  did  the  great  pandemic  of  1889-90. 
Indeed,  so  suddenly  would  the  inhabitants  of  a  given 
locality  be  attacked  in  the  great  pandemic  that  many 
were  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  disease  was  con- 
veyed in  or  carried  by  the  atmosphere  much  as  if  it  were 
a  gas,  but  the  more  intelligent  among  the  laity,  recalling 
that  the  particular  germ  had  been  isolated  and  proved  to 
be  the  cause  of  a  given  disease  came  to  think  the  in- 
fluenza or  "grip"  would  likewise  in  the  course  of  time 
be  discovered  to  be  a  germ-spreading  disease.  Time 
proved  these  conjectures  to  be  correct,  for  in  1892 
Richard  Pfeiffer  of  Germany  isolated  a  bacterium  which 
he  demonstrated  was  the  causative  factor  in  producing 


286  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

the  disease.  This  germ  he  named  the  Bacillus  influenzae, 
though  it  is  often  called  the  Pfeiffer  Bacillus  in  honor  of 
its  discoverer.  This  discovery  was  no  surprise  to  the 
profession  and  but  little  to  the  laity,  and  to  both  came  as 
a  satisfaction. 

As  to  treatment,  we  in  those  days  had  not  gotten 
over  the  use  of  quinine  in  many  ailments  as  a  sort  of 
routine  remedy.  Likewise  we  made  use  of  aconite  in 
nearly  all  feverish  conditions  let  the  malady  be  what  it 
might.  These  facts  being  true  quinine  and  aconite  were 
used  freely  in  our  grip  ceses  and  likewise  Dover's  pow- 
ders. Furthermore,  the  coal-tar  preparations  which  had 
but  recently  been  introduced  were  used  freely  to  allay 
fever  and  assuage  pain.  Fortunately  few  if  any  bad 
results  occurred  from  the  wholesale  administration  of 
these,  but  this  was  due  to  good  luck,  for  none  of  us  were 
as  yet  cognizant  of  the  power  for  harm  of  these  prepara- 
tions. 

The  more  I  saw  of  the  great  pandemic  of  1889-90  the 
more  it  interested  me  and  not  a  great  while  after  it  sub- 
sided I  began  a  study  of  the  literature  of  the  ailment.  I 
found  that  instead  of  being  a  new  disease  it  was  in  fact 
a  very  old  one,  so  old  in  fact  that  Hippocrates  who  lived 
in  the  fifth  century  before  Christ  saw  and  described  it. 
In  A.  D.  877  there  was  a  very  severe  and  extensive  epi- 
demic and  the  army  of  Charlemagne  returning  from 
Italy  suffered  severely  from  this  scourge.  Following 
this  outbreak  in  due  course  were  many  others,  but  of  few 
of  these,  are  their  written  records. 

In  1510  influenza  swept  over  the  British  Islands  and 
a  description  of  the  disease  as  it  appeared  at  that  time 
by  Thomas  Short  is,  to  say  the  least,  graphic  and  he  was 
led  to  say  that  the  ailment  was  "attended  by  a  grievous 
pain  in  the  head,  heaviness,  difficulty  of  breathing, 
hoarseness,  lack  of  strength  and  appetite,  restlessness 
and  retchings  from  a  terrible  hacking  cough.    Presently 


The  Great  Pandemics  287 

succeeded  a  chilliness  and  so  violent  a  cough  that  many 
were  in  danger  of  suffocation.  The  first  day  it  was  with- 
out spitting,  but  about  the  seventh  or  eight  day  much 
viscid  phlegm  was  spit  up.  Others,  though  fewer,  spat 
only  water  and  froth.  When  they  began  to  spit,  cough 
and  shortness  of  breath  were  easier.  None  died  except 
children.  In  some  it  (the  attack)  went  off  with  a  loose- 
ness, in  others  by  sweating.  Bleeding  and  purging  did 
hurt." 

Since  this  outbreak  in  England  in  1510,  and  by  the 
way  about  the  same  time  Scotland,  Ireland  and  in  fact 
the  whole  known  world  was  invaded  by  the  disease  four 
hundred  years  ago  there  is  authenic  record  of  three  or 
four  pandemics  of  influenza  in  each  succeeding  century 
and  this  has  led  to  the  observation  that  there  is  an  inter- 
val of  from  twenty-five  to  forty  years  between  the  great 
world-outbreaks.  However  each  pandemic,  as  noted  be- 
fore, is  succeeded  by  several  years  in  which  local  out- 
breaks, or  trailers,  attended  however,  with  much  less 
morbidity  than  the  first  onslaught  of  the  disease,  but 
with  more  relative  mortality,  that  is  to  say  fewer  cases  of 
illness  but  more  fatality  in  proportion,  not  so  many  at- 
tacked but  comparatively  many  more  deaths. 

After  going  through  the  1889-90  outbreak  and 
making  a  somewhat  careful  study  of  the  disease  under 
the  title,  "Grippe,  Influenza,  or  Epidemic  Catarrhal 
Fever,"  I  prepared  an  article  which  was  published  in 
the  American  Practitioner  and  News  of  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, in  March  1890. 

As  I  suffered  from  an  attack  of  the  disease  not  long 
after  it  reached  our  locality  in  the  great  pandemic  of  the 
late  eighties  and  early  nineties  of  the  last  century  I  in- 
cluded a  description  of  this  in  my  article  published  in 
the  American  Practitioner  and  News  and  from  this  I 
quote  as  follows :  About  11  a.  m.  January  9,  1890  I  was 
sitting  quietly  and  alone  in  my  office  when  all  at  once 


288  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

and  M'ith  the  quickness  of  thought,  I  became  conscious 
of  a  sense  of  chilliness  in  the  back  of  my  neck.  This 
sensation  was  speedily  tranformed  into  one  of  extreme 
coldness,  which  passed  down  my  back  and  from  thence 
radiated  over  my  whole  body.  So  surprising  in  their 
suddenness  were  my  sensations  that  I  instinctively  looked 
around  to  see  if  my  outside  door  had  not  blown  open  and 
permitted  a  gust  of  January  wind  to  rush  in  and  en- 
velop me  in  its  penetrating  coldness.  But  a  glance 
towards  the  tightly  closed  door  was  needed  to  convince 
me  that  there  was  not  so  much  as  a  breath  of  cold  air 
coming  from  that  quarter,  while  a  glowing  hard  coal  fire 
near  where  I  was  sitting  caused  the  mercury  in  a  ther- 
mometer hanging  on  the  wall  some  ten  feet  away  to 
stand  at  70°.  Recalling  that  my  symptoms  were  in  every 
sense  subjective  I  said  aloud,  "0,  it's  the  "grip."  But 
upon  second  thought  and  with  that  readiness  in  human 
nature  to  have  something  happen  to  almost  everybody 
save  one's  self  I  said,  "Pshaw!  I'm  only  taking  cold!" 

I  soon  began  to  sneeze  and  a  little  later  warm  water 
began  to  trickle  from  my  nostrils  and  run  from  my  eyes. 
At  the  noon  hour  I  went  to  dinner  and  remembering  the 
old  adage,  "Stuff  a  cold,"  etc.  I  ate  heartily.  In  the 
afternoon  I  attended  to  business  as  usual,  though  not 
without  much  physical  discomfort  in  the  way  of  a  handi- 
cap. Meanwhile  over  my  entire  body  flashes  of  heat 
seemed  to  be  playing  a  kind  of  game  of  hide-and-seek 
alternated  with  dashes  of  cold.  "When  the  time  came  I 
ate  supper  as  usual  but  not  with  my  usual  relish.  Next 
I  visited  a  patient  not  two  blocks  from  my  residence; 
nevertheless  in  going  to  and  from  the  case  I  became  con- 
scious that  my  walk  was  a  little  unsteady  from  a  sense  of 
dizziness  in  my  head.  Upon  going  to  bed  I  realized  that 
all  my  cold-symptoms  were  greatly  exaggerated.  In  a 
word  I  had  a  cold  plus  a  good  deal  else,  for  my  eyes  were 
painful,  water  was  streaming  from  them  and  likewise 


The  Great  Pandemics  289 

from  my  nostrils,  and  I  had  a  severe  headache  centered 
just  above  my  eyebrows. 

Upon  going  to  bed  I  took  a  capsule  containing  a  sixth 
of  a  grain  of  opium,  one  grain  of  camphor  and  two  grains 
of  carbonate  of  ammonia.  My  sleep  was  so  far  from 
being  restful  that  it  really  came  under  the  class,  broken. 
I,  however  in  wakeful  moments  attributed  this  to  the 
small  and  repeated  doses  of  opium,though  I  was  not  un- 
aware of  the  fact  that  my  fever  was  all  the  while  in- 
creasing. About  seven  o'clock  next  morning  I  wakened 
from  my  unsatisfactory  rest  with  a  violent  headache,  a 
bitter  taste  in  my  mouth,  while  my  tongue  was  clammy 
and  my  lips  dry.  I  had  a  half -nauseous  sensation  in  my 
stomache  and  a  feeling  of  ' '  weakness "  so  to  speak,  in  my 
bowels.  In  the  back  of  my  head,  in  my  right  shoulder 
and  across  the  region  of  my  kidneys  I  had  severe  pain, 
though  it  is  little,  if  any,  exaggeration  to  say  that  I 
ached  in  every  fibre  of  my  body  and  taken  altogether  felt 
woefully  sick.  I  no  longer  felt  that  there  was  any  reason, 
whatever,  to  question  the  fact  that  I  was  a  sufferer  from 
an  attack  of  grip  of  the  "purest  water." 

I  took  a  full  dose  of  antifebrine  and  in  due  time  ex- 
perienced some  little  relief.  There  being  some  tendency 
to  constipation  and  noticing  that  the  kidneys  were  not 
acting  freely  as  seemed  desirable,  I  made  use  of  cream  of 
tartar  dissolved  in  water  and  found  the  acid  taste  of  this 
most  grateful  in  my  feverish  condition.  After  a  time  I 
began  to  sweat  a  little,  but  an  attempt  to  sit  upright  pro- 
duced dizziness  and  renewed  pain  across  the  "small"  of 
my  back.  During  the  day  I  took  fifteen  grains  of  quinine 
and  meanwhile  by  turns  I  had  "sweats"  and  feverish 
spells. 

When  night  came  I  confess  I  dreaded  the  thought  of 
passing  through  it,  but  taking  another  full  dose  of  anti- 
febrine I  tried  to  court  the  favor  of  the  drowsy  god.  But 
my  efforts  were  so  unsatisfactory,  and  my  restlessness  so 


290  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Haeness 

marked  that  I  found  a  large  "double"  bed  much  too 
small  for  my  stretchings  and  "tumblings  about." 

Before  the  close  of  the  next  day  I  realized  that  some 
of  my  more  acute  symptoms  were  not  so  distressing  in 
character,  though  I  suffered  from  utter  and  unaccount- 
able prostration — now  ate  and  relished  a  little  orange, 
but  the  mere  thought  of  substantial  food  was  sickening. 
The  third  day  I  sat  up  a  little  and  began  taking  with  a 
little  effort,  some  light  food;  the  mere  sight  of  hearty 
food,  however,  was  as  yet  repulsive.  The  fourth  day  I 
was  able  to  be  up  and  walk  about  the  house  but  was  still 
unaccountably  weak.  I  took  iron  and  quinine  and  by  the 
exertion  of  some  will-power,  managed  to  get  down  some 
beef  and  other  nourishing  and  strength-building  food. 

For  days  and  days  my  legs  were  weak  and  after 
walking  pained  me.  After  the  fever  subsided  I  was  left 
with  a  bronchial  cough  which  remained  with  me  for 
about  two  weeks.  At  the  end  of  about  a  month  I  had  re- 
gained my  wonted  strength,  seemingly. 

Some  years  later  during  a  visitation  of  an  endemic 
of  influenza  I  was  stricken  again,  but  seemingly  the  at- 
tack was  much  lighter  than  the  one  described  above. 
However,  I  remained  at  home  for  three  days  when  in  re- 
sponse to  a  number  of  solicitations  I  resumed  profes- 
sional work.  Three  days  later  I  suffered  a  relapse,  so  se- 
vere in  character  that  I  took  my  bed  and  remained  there 
for  eleven  days.  I  did  not  call  in  a  brother  physician, 
but  made  use  of  such  remedies  as  my  no  doubt  greatly 
impaired  judgment  suggested.  I  have  since  thought 
that  maybe  I  had  circumscribed  pneumonia  as  a  com- 
plication, but  whatever  may  have  been  the  facts  in  this 
regard,  I  finally  left  my  bed,  began  to  go  about  and  later 
in  a  half-hearted  manner  resumed  professional  work.  It, 
however,  took  me  months  to  regain  even  a  decent  moity 
of  my  former  strength,  and  meantime  a  medical  friend 


The  Great  Pandemics  291 

accosted  me  and  said,  "Why  Johnson  your  attack  of  ill- 
ness has  made  you  look  ten  years  older ! ' ' 

Well,  however,  I  may  have  looked  I  certainly  felt 
older  and  much  feebler  than  before.  Years  and  years 
after  one  of  my  sons  said  to  me,  "Well  Papa  at  last  you 
have  come  to  look  and  move  about  like  your  former  self." 
For  many  long  months  subsequent  to  this  last  attack  I 
had  much  pain  and  tenderness  in  my  larger  joints  and 
in  less  degree  these  symptoms  continued  for  years. 

Since  my  experience  personal  and  clinical  in  this 
disease  I  have  had  an  abiding  interest  in  it  and  in  the 
succeeding  ^-ears  have  accumulated  no  little  literature 
pertaining  to  la  grippe,  or  "grip"  as  the  laity  called  it. 
A  most  excellent  monograph  on  this  ailment  by  Dr. 
James  C.  Wilson  may  be  found  in  Pepper's  System  of 
Medicine.  But  perhaps  the  best  and  fullest  contribution 
to  this  subject  is  from  the  pen  of  the  late  Dr.  C.  Leichten- 
stern  in  Nothnagel's  Cyclopedia  of  Practice. 

"Flu" 

The  season  of  1918  was  not  far  advanced  when  we 
began  to  read  in  the  papers  about  the  Spanish  Influenza 
which  was  prevailing  in  Spain.  Then  as  time  went  on 
we  learned  how  it  was  spreading  through  contiguous 
lands  and  finally  through  the  whole  of  Europe  and  the 
Mediterranean  countries.  Finally  on  August  28,  1918, 
some  sick  soldiers  (the  World  War  was  yet  in  progress) 
arrived  in  the  Port  of  Boston,  Massachusett  and  were 
transferred  to  Chelsea  Hospital  in  the  same  Common- 
wealth where  the  ailment  with  which  the  soldiers  were 
suffering  was  diagnosed  to  be  the  so-called  Spanish  In- 
fluenza. 

During  the  months  of  September  and  October  follow- 
ing the  disease  spread  over  practically  the  whole  of 
North  America  and  meantime  had  bestowed  upon  it  the 
popular  name  "flu."  For  some  time  epidemiologists 
seemed  to  be  in  doubt  as  to  the  true  nature  of  the  disease. 


292  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

However,  in  time  it  was  seen  that  the  ailment  was  at- 
tended with  the  same  symptoms  and  followed  by  the 
same  extreme  weakness  that  had  characterized  the  great 
world  pandemic  of  1889-90,  and  which  all  agreed  was 
influenza,  though  nick-named  "grip."  Consequently 
the  Spanish  Influenza,  or  "flu"  of  1918-19  was  finally 
seen  to  be  the  long  known  influenza,  or  ' '  grip ' '  of  1889- 
90,  nothing  less,  nothing  more. 

However,  the  last  great  pandemic  developed  some  un- 
usual and  unexpected  characteristics:  One  of  these  was 
the  relative  frequency  of  pneumonia  as  a  complication. 
This  complication  occurred  in  from  5  to  10  per  cent  of 
the  cases  and  moreover  was  all  too  frequently,  virulent 
in  type.  Furthermore  the  victims  of  this  complication 
were  in  most  instances  strong  healthy  persons  between 
the  ages  of  20  and  40.  I  recall  that  one  day  during  the 
prevalence  of  this  pandemic  three  strong  men  in  mature 
life,  all  my  acquaintances,  were  at  the  same  time  in  their 
coffins,  death  in  each  instance  the  result  of  a  pneumonic 
complication.  This  was  in  striking  contrast  to  what  was 
observed  in  the  great  pandemic  of  1889-90,  when  the 
victims  were  in  most  instances  people  advanced  in  years. 
Fortunately  for  those  of  us  who  had  passed  our  three- 
score-years-and-ten,  in  the  last  great  pandemic,  those  of 
our  class  seemed  specially  immune  to  attack  in  the  1918- 
19  outbreak. 

When  the  great  pandemic  of  influenza  struck  this 
country  in  1918  we  had  no  less  than  one  and  one-half 
million  World  War  soldiers  in  camp  getting  ready  to  go 
overseas  and  do  their  "bit"  in  the  great  struggle.  Sad 
to  say  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  these  strong, 
alert  young  men  yielded  up  their  lives  to  the  inroads  of 
"flu,"  the  complication  of  pneumonia  in  practically  all 
instances  being  the  determining  cause  of  death. 

In  looking  over  the  literature  of  influenza  it  is  in- 
teresting to  note  that  while  in  a  general  way  all  of  the 


The  Great  Pandemics  "  293 

great  pandemics  of  this  disease  have  certain  characteris- 
tics in  common,  yet  each  one  of  these  seems  to  be  at- 
tended with  certain  marks  or  qualities  peculiar  to  itself. 
For  illustration  in  the  pandemic  of  1829-30  most  of  the 
deaths  occurred  in  children  and  old  people.  And  what 
was  peculiar,  nose-bleed  was  a  frequent  occurrence. 

In  some  pandemics  in  the  past  children  have  seemed 
to  be  immune,  precisely  as  were  elderly  people  in  the 
1918-19  pandemic  as  noted  above.  An  outbreak  of  this 
disease  which  occurred  in  this  country  in  1789-90  is  in- 
teresting from  the  fact  that  Washington  was  a  sufferer 
from  it,  a  fact  which  is  referred  to  by  Dr.  John  Warren 
as  follows:  "Our  beloved  President  Washington  is  but 
now  on  the  recovery  from  a  severe  and  dangerous  attack 
of  it  (influenza)  in  that  city  (New  York)." 

Among  infectious  diseases  no  one  approaches  in- 
fluenza in  power  to  spread  quickly  and  become  world- 
wide in  proportions.  But  what  is  interesting  it  spreads 
much  more  rapidly  in  our  time  than  in  the  old  days. 
Why?  Because  we  have  the  express  train  on  land  and 
the  ocean  grayhound  on  water.  When  air-ship  travel, 
with  its  one-hundred-miles-an-hour  progress,  becomes  an 
every-day  experience  the  great  pandemics  of  influenza 
will  envelop  the  ' '  ends  of  the  earth ' '  much  more  rapidly 
still. 

While  the  great  pandemics  of  influenza  are  usually 
two,  three  or  four  decades  apart,  the  disease  in  epidemic, 
or  endemic  form  almost  never  ceases  to  exist  somewhere. 
Said  Netter,  ' '  Just  as  cholera  is  endemic  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ganges,  and  endemic-epidemic  in  Indo-China,  so  in- 
fluenza has  its  home  in  the  interior  of  Asia,  and  its  en- 
demic-epidemic domain  in  the  bordering  countries  of 
Russia. ' ' 

In  some  periods  animals  have  been  stricken  with  a 
pandemic  very  similar  to  influenza.  One  such  period 
was  in  1872  when  the  newspapers  spoke  of  the  epizootic 


294  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

which  was  attacking  all  the  work-horses  in  New  York 
and  in  consequence  traffic  of  most  kinds  and  many  modes 
of  travel  including  horse-cars,  had  all  come  to  a  sudden 
halt.  In  due  time  our  horses  in  the  middle  West  came 
to  be  sufferers  from  this  and  I  recall  that  my  favorite 
horse  was  sticken  with  watery  eyes,  a  free  discharge  from 
the  nostrils,  drooping  and  general  prostration  and  de- 
pression. Fortunately  the  animals  were  seemingly  as 
good  as  ever  at  the  end  of  two  or  three  days. 

Referring  again  to  the  great  pandemic  of  influenza 
its  first  "trailer"  came  back  on  time  during  the  winter 
of  1919-20  but  fortunately  contrary  to  the  rule,  this  re- 
turn of  the  disease  was  much  less  fatal  than  was  its  fore- 
runner a  year  before.  Fortunately  again,  the  winter 
of  1920-21  failed  to  bring  a  second  return  of  influenza. 


XXV 

MEDICAL  SOCIETIES 

Medicine  so  relates  itself  to  humanity,  that  in  the 
development  of  his  material,  his  intellectual  and  his  moral 
nature,  the  physician  is  yet  to  express  the  highest  capa- 
Mlities  of  man. — Dr.  J  U.  Hollister. 

The  Champaign  County  Medical  Society 

IN  the  fall  of  1874  I  joined  the  Champaign  County- 
Medical  Society  and  certainly  have  never  had  reason 
to  regret  it.  This  society  was  organized  March  4,  1859, 
and  consequently  has  now  had  an  existence  covering  a 
period  of  more  than  sixty  years.  Very  few  County 
Medical  Societies  in  the  State  have  a  longer  history  and, 
indeed,  few  have  as  long. 

When  I  joined  this  organization  fifty  years  ago  a 
dozen  members  present  at  a  meeting  was  reckoned  a 
large  attendance.  At  that  time  three  of  its  pillars  were 
Dr.  J.  T.  Pearman  of  Champaign,  Dr.  S.  H.  Birney  and 
Dr.  William  Goodwin  of  Urbana.  Sad  to  relate  all 
three  of  these  faithful  members  died  of  cancer  before 
old  age  had  overtaken  them  in  their  professional  use- 
fulness. 

I  served  this  society  for  ten  years  as  its  Secretary 
and  it  would  be  most  instructive  to  turn  to  the  old 
records  and  see  what  most  interested  physicians  twenty, 
thirty,  forty  years  ago ;  but  unfortunately  for  my  con- 
venience the  greater  part  of  these  records  were  destroyed 
in  a  fire  a  few  years  since,  and  whatever  is  presented  in 
the  way  of  old  proceedings  will  have  to  be  called  up 
from  memory. 

In   that   period  the   germ  theory   of  disease   with 
which  we  are  so   familiar  today  was  in   its  incipient 

295 


296  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

stage,  if  I  may  so  speak,  and  save  by  a  few  of  the  more 
advanced  in  the  profession  was  unknown,  if  indeed,  not 
unheard  of.  About  this  time,  as  elsewhere  noted,  I 
became  a  subscriber  to  Ziemsen's  Cyclopedia  of  the  Prac- 
tice of  Medicine  and  with  great  interest  read  Lieber- 
meister's  Introductory  article  to  this  work  in  which  he 
gave  a  brief  review  of  the  little  known,  and  perhaps  less 
understood,  germ  theory. 

Inspired  by  Liebermeister's  article  and  some  kin- 
dred papers  I  prepared  a  report  for  the  County  Society 
in  January,  1877,  under  the  title,  "Causation  and 
Classification  of  Disease, ' '  in  which  I  endeavored  to  show 
the  logical  importance  of  the  germ  theory  and  express 
my  belief  that  it  was  destined  to  sway  the  whole  field  of 
medicine,  little  as  was  yet  known  of  it. 

In  my  paper  I  made  use  of  the  following:  "Agassiz 
from  a  single  fish  scale  as  a  basis  to  work  on,  thought 
himself  justified  in  constructing  a  model  of  the  whole 
fish.  Afterwards  a  perfectly  fossilized  specimen  of  the 
species  to  which  this  fish  belonged  was  discovered  and 
it  was  found  to  correspond  in  the  most  minute  partic- 
ulars with  the  model  made  by  Agassiz.  There  is  cer- 
tainly a  much  less  disproportion  between  the  germ 
theory  of  the  origin  of  diseases  and  the  well-authenti- 
cated facts  upon  which  it  is  based,  than  there  was  be- 
tween the  complete  model  of  Agassiz  and  the  single 
fish-scale  which  served  him  as  a  model  to  build  on.  Or, 
in  other  words,  the  relation  between  the  true  and  the 
probably  true  would  seem  to  be  more  intimate  in  the 
former  than  in  the  latter.  And  as  the  revelations  of 
time  proved  Agassiz  correct,  so  we  may  hope,  nay  al- 
most predict,  that  the  disclosures  of  the  future  will  so 
substantiate  this  theory  as  to  place  it  beyond  contro- 
versy. Of  the  facts,  however,  pertaining  to  the  whole 
subject,  it  may  be  said  that  we  have  only  the  bud,  and 
that  the  full-blown  flower,  and  after  it  the  completely 
developed  fruit  are  yet  to  come." 


Medical  Societies  297 

In  that  period  filth  of  various  kinds  was  thought  to 
be  capable  of  developing  various  diseases,  such  as  ty- 
phoid, typhus,  dysentery,  etc.  To  combat  this  idea  I 
made  use  of  the  following  in  my  paper:  "It  is  true, 
matter  undergoing  the  process  of  decomposition  often 
produces  certain  forms  of  disease ;  but  the  symptoms  are 
usually  confined  to  the  alimentary  canal,  and  the  disease 
is  never  communicable.  The  following  from  the  U.  S. 
Cholera  Report  of  1878  will  illustrate  the  two  classes 
of  ailments :  Mrs.  Brewster,  sister  to  the  celebrated  Dr. 
Henry  Bennett,  having  gone  to  Vienna  to  attend  the 
Exposition  of  1878,  put  up  at  a  large  commodious  hotel, 
which  had  just  been  opened  to  the  public.  She  com- 
plained of  the  drinking  water  the  first  day,  and  would 
not  even  wash  in  it  without  first  putting  in  cologne. 
She,  her  niece,  and  maid,  and  several  servants  were  all 
attacked  with  diarrhea.  This  was  thought  to  be  a  bil- 
ious complaint,  caused  by  heat,  and  was  looked  upon 
as  a  trivial  matter.  Meantime  the  water  grew  worse  and 
worse,  and  Mrs.  B.  made  complaint  to  the  landlord.  She 
then  resorted  to  milk  and  mineral  water,  till  the  first 
was  found  to  be  diluted  with,  and  the  second  made 
from  water  on  the  premises.  On  the  fifteenth  day  the 
hot  water  for  tea  at  breakfast  smelt  so  badly  that  the 
proprietor  was  sent  for,  who  reported  that  one  of  the 
drainage  pipes  had  broken  into  the  well,  but  that  a 
dozen  men  were  repairing  it.  Her  niece  had  refused  to 
take  the  tea,  but  Mrs.  B.  had  already  swallowed  some 
of  it.  She  continued  well  all  day  but  about  11  P.  M. 
was  attacked  with  diarrhea  and  vomiting,  and  in  six 
hours  was  cyanozed  and  collapsed,  and  in  fifteen  hours 
was  a  corpse. 

"It  was  then  found  that  a  gentleman  had  died  two 
days  before  from  cholera  in  the  hotel.  Four  more  died 
the  same  day  with  Mrs.  Brewster,  while  many  of  the 
servants  and  guests  were  sent  to  the  hospital  where  they 
afterwards  died.     The  water  was  now  examined   and 


298  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

found  to  be  contaminated  with  sewage.  The  hotel  was 
at  last  closed  by  the  police.  "While  the  water  was  sim- 
ply contaminated  with  ordinary  fecal  matter  a  compar- 
atively trivial  diarrhea  prevailed,  but  so  soon  as  the  two 
cases  of  true  cholera  occurred  and  the  evacuations  got 
in  the  well,  genuine  Asiatic  cholera  at  once  broke  out. 
This  disease  had  really  been  in  Vienna  since  the  previous 
April,  but  the  fact  was  concealed,  so  as  not  to  compro- 
mise the  success  of  the  Exposition."  At  this  period 
(1873)  the  reader  should  bear  in  mind  the  comma  hac- 
illus  or  cholera  germ  had  not  as  yet  been  discovered. 

Striving  to  show  the  plausibility  of  the  germ  the- 
ory of  disease  I  said  in  my  paper,  "To  my  mind,  one 
of  the  strongest  arguments  in  favor  of  the  germ  theory 
is  the  striking  analogy  between  the  growh  of  plants  and 
the  course  of  certain  diseases.  Take  for  instance  small- 
pox: Let  an  unprotected  person  be  exposed  to  this  dis- 
ease, and  for  about  twelve  days  therefrom,  which  period 
is  called  the  period  of  incubation,  he  will  suffer  no  in- 
convenience. At  the  end  of  this  time,  however,  the 
disease  will  make  its  appearance  by  the  patient  having 
high  fever,  which  continues  for  a  certain  time,  and  is 
followed  by  the  stage  of  eruption,  which  is  followed  in 
turn  by  secondary  fever,  and  lastly  comes  the  period  of 
desquamation.  Let  a  grain  of  corn  be  put  in  the  ground 
under  suitable  conditions,  and  it  first  passes  through 
the  process  of  germination,  which  corresponds  very 
closely  to  the  period  of  incubation  in  smallpox.  The 
next  step  is  vigorous  growth  for  the  development  of  the 
stalk  and  leaves ;  this  finds  its  analogy  in  the  primary 
fever.  Another  step  is  the  development  of  the  flower, 
which  in  popular  language,  is  the  silk  and  tassel,  and 
fertilization  of  the  young  shoot ;  this  is  not  unlike  the 
stage  of  eruptions.  A  fourth  step  is  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  ear,  which  may  be  compared  to  the 
secondary  fever.     Lastly,  we  have  the  drying  out  and 


]\Iedical  Societies  299 

ripening  of  the  ear,  which  corresponds  to  the  desquama- 
tion process  in  variola.  Here  are  five  stages  in  either 
case  and  in  both  instances  each  stage  is,  within  certain 
limits,  of  definite  duration,  and  corresponds  to  the  car- 
rying out  of  a  certain  process.  And  as  we  know  vege- 
table life  to  be  at  the  bottom  of  all  the  phenomena  in 
the  one  case,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  believe  that  or- 
ganized action,  independent  of  the  body,  is  the  primary 
cause  of  what  we  see  in  the  other. ' ' 

Such  were  the  facts,  arguments  and  illusrations  that 
many,  many  years  ago,  I,  a  young  country  doctor,  made 
use  of  in  an  effort  to  convince  some  of  my  colleagues  of 
the  truth  of  the  theory  of  the  germ  genesis  of  contagious 
diseases.  As  to  my  colleagues  of  that  day,  a  few  had 
vague  ideas  of  the  germ  theorj'  derived  from  the  casual 
reading  of  brief  references  to  it  in  the  medical  journals 
of  the  period ;  but  if  the  truth  must  be  spoken  many  had 
scarcely  ever  heard  of  it. 

To  make  the  acceptance  of  this  theory  a  little  more 
difiicult  and  likewise  to  delay  it  longer.  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis 
of  Chicago,  as  noted  elsewhere,  then  in  the  prime  of  his 
professional  life,  came  out  flatly  against  it  in  a  carefully 
prepared  article  which  in  June,  1876,  appeared  in  the 
American  Practitioner  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  In  in- 
ternal medicine  Davis,  all  through  the  West,  was  looked 
upon  as  an  authority  that  we  all  had  to  reckon  with. 
For  a  time  this  view  of  my  old  teacher,  Dr.  Davis,  had 
its  influence  in  making  me  hesitate  to  accept  the  germ 
theory,  but  as  I  came  to  weigh  its  merits,  pro  and  con,  I 
was  convinced  of  its  plausibility  and  likewise  of  its 
power  to  explain  much  in  medicine  that  had  hitherto 
been  practically  unexplainable. 

But  notwithstanding  so  pronounced  was  Dr.  Davis 
against  what  to  him  was  in  effect  a  great  medical  inno- 
vation, that  he  most  earnestly  combatted  the  germ  theory 
in  his  Practice  of  Medicine  the  first  edition  of  which 
appeared  in  1884. 


300  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

However,  he  was  not  alone  for  a  great  many  prom- 
inent men  in  the  profession  were  slow  to  accept  this 
theory  and  while  they  did  not  combat  it  as  determinedly 
as  Dr.  Davis,  were  filled  with  doubt  relative  to  its  ulti- 
mate truth.  One,  such  was  Dr.  Henry  Hartshorne, 
author  of  the  article  on  Etiology  in  Pepper's  System  of 
Medicine  which  like  Dr.  Davis'  work  first  came  out  in 
1884. 

My  paper,  "Causation  and  Classification  of  Disease" 
referred  to  above,  was  especially  well  received  by  the 
members  of  the  Champaign  County  Medical  Society  and 
by  unanimous  vote  it  was  directed  to  be  published  in 
the  Chicago  Medical  Journal  and  Examiner  and  ap- 
peared in  that  periodical  in  March,  1877.  While  I  was 
not  ashamed  of  the  paper,  I  was  mortified  at  the  way 
it  was  read  which  in  exact  truth  was  "with  fear  and 
trembling;"  for  as  yet  I  had  not  gotten  over  my  exces- 
sive timidity  when  I  had  to  appear  before  an  audience 
let  it  be  ever  so  small.  While  reading  the  paper  my 
voice  trembled,  my  mouth  was  so  dry  that  my  tongue 
almost  clave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth,  and  had  I  not 
taken  the  precaution  to  have  a  glass  of  water  within 
easy  reach,  I  could  not  have  gotten  through.  Finally  my 
knees  were  so  shaky  that  they  all  but  "knocked  to- 
gether." But  somehow,  some  way  I  managed  to  get 
through,  my  listeners  were  more  than  kind  and  as  noted 
above  seemed  to  be  especially  pleased  with  what  I  had 
offered. 

In  the  early  nineties  when  the  serum  treatment  of 
disease  was  in  its  earliest  infancy  I  prepared  and  read 
a  paper  on  that  subject  before  the  County  Society. 

Some  years  ago  when  the  subject  of  the  Ductless 
Glands  began  to  receive  attention  I  selected  that  topic 
for  a  paper  and  read  it  before  my  County  Society  col- 
leagues. 

Thus  whatsoever  have  been  my  shortcomings  as  a 
loyal  member  of  the  above  named  organization  I  have 


Medical  Societies  301 

at  least  tried  to  be  opportune  in  at  least  some  of  the 
subjects  I  have  selected  for  consideration. 

Observation  and  experience  covering  a  membership 
of  fully  a  half  century  in  the  Champaign  County  Med- 
ical Society  has  caused  me  to  realize  that  in  his  home 
organization  a  man  with  the  right  spirit  of  "give-and- 
take,  ' '  can  receive  great  benefit  from  his  fellow-workers, 
and  likewise  benefit  them  as  well. 

In  May,  1875,  I  was  a  delegate  from  the  Aescula- 
pian  to  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  which  was 
held  in  Jacksonville,  111.  When  the  time  for  the  meet- 
ing came  I  boarded  a  train  on  the  Wabash  Railway  and 
in  due  time  reached  Jacksonville  and  put  up  at  its  prin- 
cipal hotel — name  forgotten.  My  friend  and  neighbor, 
Dr.  A.  T.  Darrah  of  Tolono,  and  Dr.  S.  H.  Birney  of 
Urbana,  had  come  with  me  and  we  three  were  the  only 
representatives  from  Champaign  County.  This  was  the 
first  meeting  of  the  State  Society  I  had  ever  attended 
and  my  delegacy  made  me  a  member. 

Dr.  John  H.  Hollister,  then  in  the  prime  of  mature 
manhood,  was  president  of  the  Society  and  presided  with 
rare  dignity  and  fairness. 

As  I  was  a  young  physician  and  had  never  before 
attended  a  State  meeting  it  was  only  natural  that  I 
should  study  new  faces  and  watch  the  proceedings 
closely.  I  do  not  recall  many  of  the  papers  presented 
but  do  have  a  distinct  recollection  of  the  report  on  Prac- 
tical Medicine  by  Dr.  E.  B.  Cook  of  Mendota.  who  was 
then  in  the  prime  of  manhood  and  had  a  most  excellent 
paper  and  read  it  well,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he 
did  this  rapidly  as  it  was  near  the  close  of  the  session 
and  his  time  was  necessarily  short.  One  paragraph  from 
Dr.  Cook's  paper  I  quote  as  showing  the  state  of  med- 
icine in  1875.  "Perhaps  it  is  worthy  of  mention  that, 
during  the  year,  renewed  attention  had  been  given  to 
the  view  advanced  long   since   bv   Athanasius   Lancisi 


302  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Kircher,  and  others  and  lately  elaborated  by  Henle 
(1840  to  1853) — but  not  until  within  the  last  ten  years 
has  received  much  attention, — that  of  the  exisence  of 
a  contagium  vivum,  or  theory  that  the  poison  of  infec- 
tious disease  consists  of  living  beings  or  low  organisms 
— animal  or  vegetable — and  so  recently  ably  defended  by 
Liebermeister,  and  of  which  he  says:  The  prophecy 
which  I  believed  myself  justified  in  making  in  1865, 
viz.,  that  the  theory  of  a  contagium  vivum  would  soon 
be  the  prevailing  one,  and  that  under  its  influence  in- 
vestigations would  take  directions  that  would  probably 
lead  to  results  of  the  greatest  theoretical  and  practical 
imporance.  This  prophecy  has  actually  been  fulfilled, 
in  part,  during  the  past  few  years;  a  great  number  of 
the  best  experimentalists  are  the  declared  adherents  of 
the  theory.  At  any  rate,  it  is  now  admitted,  even  by 
those  who  do  not  unreservedly  acknowledge  the  theory 
of  a  contagium  vivum,  that  it  represents  the  view  which 
points,  more  clearly  than  any  other,  to  order  in  the 
chaos  of  facts. 

"And  that  each  of  the  infectious  diseases,  including 
typhoid  and  typhus  fevers,  dysentery,  diphtheria,  etc., 
results  from  a  specific  poison  or  contagium  vivum,  as 
has  long  been  admitted  of  the  acute  and  chronic  infec- 
tious diseases — variola  and  syphilis." 

Dr.  Hollister's  valedictory  address  was  eloquent  and 
clothed  in  beautiful  language.  Addressing  more  espe- 
cially the  residents  of  Jacksonville  among  his  listeners 
he  said,  "Your  beautiful  homes  have  a  language  of  re- 
finement, and  your  surroundings  an  air  of  comfort 
which  charm  us  like  music,  and  would  beguile  us  to 
rest.  Jacksonville,  city  of  beauty,  of  culture,  of  broth- 
erly kindness.  Like  a  bosom-bouquet,  she  nestles  near 
the  heart  of  our  beautiful  State.  May  her  leaves  never 
wither,  her  flowers  never  fade." 

While  in  Jacksonville  the  doctors  visited  the  various 


Medical  Societies  303 

State  Institutions  and  found  much  of  interest  in  each 
of  these. 

During  one  of  the  sessions  a  death  from  chloroform 
occurred.  Dr.  J.  W.  Freer,  professor  of  physiology  in 
Rush  Medical  College,  gave  a  demonstration  of  the  trans- 
fusion of  blood  and  for  this  purpose  used  a  dog  that  had 
been  chloroformed.  Unfortunately  for  Professor  Freer 
but  not  a  little  to  the  amusement  of  the  onlookers,  the 
first  animal  narcoticized  died  on  the  operator's  table. 

Near  the  close  of  the  meeting  all  the  doctors  took 
their  places  on  the  steps  of  the  Insane  Hospital  and 
were  photographed.  Meantime  the  delegation  from 
Champaign  County  extended  an  invitation  for  the  next 
meeting  to  be  in  the  Twin  Cities  of  Urbana  and  Cham- 
paign and  this  was  accepted.  When  all  was  over,  ac- 
companied by  Drs.  Darrah  and  Birney,  a  Wabash  Rail- 
way train  was  boarded  and  in  due  time  we  reached  our 
homes. 

Drs.  Darrah  and  Birney  have  long  since  crossed  to 
the  Great  Beyond.  Indeed  of  all  those  I  met  at  Jack- 
sonville I  cannot  name  one  who  is  among  the  living  to- 
day. 

In  May,  1876,  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  met 
in  the  Twin  Cities  of  Champaign  and  Urbana,  the  dates 
being  May  I6,-  17,  and  18.  The  sessions  were  held  in 
the  Chapel  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  As  the  Twin 
Cities  were  on  the  main  line  of  the  Illinois  Central  and 
less  than  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from  Chicago, 
the  attendance  from  that  city  was  large,  and  included 
such  leading  men  as  Drs.  Davis,  Hollister,  Gunn,  By- 
ford,  Holmes,  A.  Reeves  Jackson,  Andrews,  Jewell,  H. 
A.  Johnson,  etc.  In  addition  there  were  present  many 
of  the  old  "wheel-horses"  of  the  profession,  such  as  B. 
F.  Haller  of  Vandalia,  E.  W.  Gray  of  Bloomington, 
William  Hill  of  Bloomington,  I.  N.  Barnes  of  Decatur, 
W.  M.  Chambers  of  Charleston,  J.  M.  Steele  of  Grand- 
view,  G.  W.  Albin  of  Neoga — nearly  all  of  these  had 


304  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

been  honored  with  the  presidency  of  the  Society,  but 
sad  to  say  are  now  all  dead. 

I  was  the  Local  Secretary  and  in  fulfilling  my  duties 
came  in  contact  with  practically  everyone  in  attendance. 
The  most  important  business  transacted  was  the 
appointment  of  a  committee  to  memorialize  the  Illinois 
Legislature  with  a  view  to  securing  the  passage  of  a 
Medical  Practice  Act.  Indeed,  this  was  so  important 
that  it  was  really  epoch-making.  Elsewhere  I  shall  go 
more  into  detail  regarding  this. 

Dr.  S.  H.  Birney,  who  long  had  been  a  faithful  act- 
ive member  of  the  Society,  was  desirous  of  being  made 
president  at  this  meeting,  but  the  fates  decreed  other- 
wise, and,  as  a  result,  he  was  run  over  by  the  steam- 
roller, and  T.  Davis  Fitch,  who  retired  as  Secretary, 
captured  the  prize.  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  was  offered  the  po- 
sition of  Secretary  of  the  Society  and  to  the  surprise  of 
everyone,  accepted.  Dr.  Davis  was  nearing  his  sixtieth 
birthday  and  was  one  of  the  prominent  medical  men  of 
the  nation ;  hence  the  surprise  that  he  should  take  the 
secretaryship  of  the  Society. 

In  this  connection  I  desire  to  pay  a  passing  tribute 
to  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis,  Dr.  Edmund  Andrews  and  Dr.  J. 
H.  Hollister,  all  of  whom  were  at  this  meeting  and  all 
in  the  prime  of  their  manly  powers.  In  addition  to  be- 
ing prominent  in  the  profession,  in  addition  to  being 
excellent  teachers,  they  were  each  the  very  type  of  true 
manliness  and  personally  as  clean  and  white  as  the 
driven  snow.  They  have  all  gone  to  their  reward,  but 
their  good  works  and  noble  influence  have  far  outlived 
them ;  for  of  each  of  them  it  may  be  said,  * '  that  though 
dead,  he  yet  speaketh,"  and  of  all  "their  works  do  fol- 
low them." 

As  noticed  elsewhere,  I  was  made  Secretary  of  the 
Aesculapian  Society  in  1876  and  served  ten  years  there- 
after. This  gave  me  opportunity  to  come  in  contact  with, 
and  see  much  of  the  physicians  of  East  Central  Illinois 


Medical  Societies  305 

and  West  Central  Indiana.  In  the  nearly  sixty  years 
that  I  have  been  in  practice  I  have  had  no  little  to 
do  with  Medical  Societies,  but  when  all  things  are  consid- 
ered I  can  but  regard  the  Aesculapian  as  one  of  the  best 
of  its  kind,  (I  came  near  saying  the  best  of  any  kind), 
that  I  know  of.  The  members  of  the  Aesculapian  frat- 
ernize in  the  truest  sense,  there  is  no  politics  in  the  or- 
ganization, and  it  has  always  maintained  a  high  ethical 
standard.  The  fine  example  in  ethics  exemplified  in  the 
professional  lives  of  that  noble  triumvirate  of  Medical 
Stalwarts,  Dr.  William  M.  Chambers,  Dr.  William 
Massie  and  Dr.  A.  J.  Miller,  has  not  been  lost  on  their 
successors  in  the  Aesculapian. 

Following  the  meeting  in  the  Twin  Cities  I  did  not 
attend  the  State  Society  very  regularly  as  I  was  en- 
grossed with  my  professional  and  private  affairs. 

In  1892  the  State  Society  met  in  Vandalia  and  hav- 
ing some  relatives  there  and  furthermore  the  place  of 
meeting  being  in  the  same  latitude  as  that  in  which  I 
was  born  and  raised  I  attended  the  meeting.  However, 
the  attendance  was  small  and  nothing  of  moment  trans- 
pired that  I  recall.  I  do  remember,  however,  that  dur- 
ing a  heavy  down-pour  we  went  to  the  home  of  Dr. 
Haller  where  a  reception  was  tendered  us. 

World 's  Fair  year,  1903,  the  annual  meeting  was  held 
in  Chicago  and  I  went  to  this  and  read  a  paper  entitled 
"Diphtheria  in  Champaign  County,"  the  first  I  had 
ever  presented  to  the  State  Society.  The  report  em- 
bodied a  brief  history  of  the  disease  as  it  had  occurred 
in  Champaign  County  and  also  considered  the  nature  of 
the  disease  and  the  best  means  of  treating  and  prevent- 
ing the  ailment.  The  paper  was  very  well  received  and 
I  can  turn  to  it  now  and  read  its  pages  with  some  de- 
gree of  satisfaction. 

For  the  past  twenty-seven  years  I  have  not  missed  a 
meeting  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  and  mean- 
time have  appeared  before  it  with  a  number  of  papers 


306  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

all  of  which  have  been  well  received.  Among  these 
papers,  I  recall,  ' '  The  Health  Conscience  and  the  Drink 
Problem;"  ''Old  Age;"  "Civil  War  Medicine;"  "Lest 
We  Forget,  or  Dr.  Crawford  W.  Long,  the  First 
Anesthetist;"  "A  Study  of  800  Cases  in  the  Selective 
Draft  of  1917,"  and  later  "A  Plea  for  the  Bed-time 
Toilet,"  which  attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention.  At 
the  meeting  in  1925  my  topic  was  ' '  Fifty  Years  of  Med- 
ical Progress. ' ' 

I  had  the  address  in  State  Medicine  at  the  meeting 
held  at  Quincy  in  1906  and  chose  for  my  subject  the 
Discovery  of  Vaccination  by  Jenner.  Although  the 
meeting  occurred  in  the  month  of  May  the  night  upon 
which  my  address  came  was  hot  almost  to  suffocation. 

The  meeting  was  held  in  an  opera  house  and  the 
ventilation  was  none  too  good  and  two  addresses  came 
before  mine.  One  of  these  was  by  the  retiring  Presi- 
dent, Dr.  McNary,  and  the  other  by  a  notable.  Dr.  Ros- 
well  Park  of  Buffalo,  and  who  had  been  one  of  Mc- 
Kinley's  surgeons.  Dr.  McNary  had  School  Hygiene 
for  his  topic  and  while  what  he  had  to  say  was  good 
in  its  way,  he  read  poorly  and  his  voice  did  not  carry 
beyond  the  front  seats  in  the  house.  He  was  followed  by 
Dr.  Park,  whose  subject  was  "The  Border  Lines  of  Sur- 
gery." Like  Dr.  McNarj^'s  address.  Dr.  Park's  was  not 
bad,  but  on  the  other  hand  it  was  in  effect  not  good ;  for 
he  read  it  in  a  hum-drum  manner,  threw  no  force  in  it, 
and  he,  like  Dr.  McNary,  was  not  heard  bv  many  in  the 
hall. 

When  my  time  came  I  rose  to  my  feet  resolved  to 
profit  by  the  mistakes  of  my  predecessor,  and  seeing  a 
man  standing  in  the  doorway  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
hall,  raised  my  voice  to  a  pitch  that  I  felt  sure  would 
reach  him.  I  soon  satisfied  myself  that  my  audience  was 
listening,  and  thus  encouraged,  I  finished  reading  my 
paper  and  sat  down  fully  impressed  with  the  fact  that 
the  indifferent  manner  in  which  my  predecessors  had 


Medical  Societies  307 

presented  their  addresses  had  served  as  a  sort  of  back- 
ground to  mine  and  put  the  audience  in  a  sort  of  re- 
ceptive mood  for  what  I  had  to  give  them.  Not  that  I 
did  so  well,  but  the  fact  that  my  predecessors  did  so 
poorly,  made  ray  address  seem  better  than  it  really  was. 
However,  I  trust  I  shall  not  be  accused  of  egotism  if  I 
say  that  I  still  have  to  listen  to  compliments  for  my 
Quincy  address. 

In  1916  the  State  Society  met  in  Champaign  City 
and  our  County  Medical  Society  made  me  chairman  of 
the  Committee  of  Arrangements.  For  place  of  meeting 
we  secured  the  Masonic  Temple,  a  beautiful  structure, 
then  just  completed  and  answering  our  purpose  admir- 
ably. Precisely  forty  years  previously  the  State  So- 
ciety had  met  in  the  Twin  Cities  of  Champaign  and  Ur- 
bana  and,  as  elsewhere  stated,  means  were  put  to  work 
to  secure  a  Medical  Practice  Act — in  a  word  State  Med- 
icine was  born  in  Champaign  County. 

As  I  was  present  at  the  meeting  forty  years  before 
and  participation  in  its  proceedings,  I  felt  that  these 
should  be  remembered  in  some  way.  With  this  thought 
in  mind  I  designed  a  fitting  badge  for  the  1916  Cham- 
paign Meeting. 

In  1877  I  attended  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion for  the  first  time  in  my  life.  The  meeting  was  held 
in  Chicago  and  to  it  I  was  a  delegate  from  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  Society.  Accompanying  me  were  Dr.  A. 
T.  Darrah,  my  neighbor  from  Tolono ;  Dr.  George  Cal- 
laway, Tuscola ;  and  Dr.  John  L.  Polk,  Areola.  As  all 
lived  on  the  Illinois  Central  we  went  up  to  Chicago  on 
the  same  train  and  put  up  at  the  Palmer  House,  then 
but  recently  built  and  regarded  as  one  of  the  finest  and 
most  up-to-date  hotels  in  the  country.  Less  than  six 
years  previously  occurred  the  great  Chicago  fire  in  1871 
and  the  Palmer  House  was  one  of  the  many  good  struc- 
tures that  helped  to  build  up  the  burnt-over  district  and 
make  for  the  real  betterment  of  the  citv. 


308  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Although  the  Palmer  House  was  reputed  to  be  the 
last  word  in  hotel  construction  it  had  no  passenger  ele- 
vator for  the  very  essential  reason  that  this  great  con- 
venience had  as  yet  not  come  in  use,  and  guests  were 
obliged  to  reach  its  top  most  story  by  climbing  a  goodly 
number  of  stairways.  I  recall  seeing  Dr.  S.  D.  Gross, 
the  Philadelphia  surgeon,  mounting  the  stairway,  labor- 
iously it  seemed  to  me  to  one  of  his  years,  though  he 
was  then  several  years  younger  than  I  am  now.  Another 
notable  that  I  saw  at  the  Palmer  was  Dr.  Marion  Sims, 
who  retired  from  the  presidency  of  the  Association  the 
year  previously.  I  remember  just  how  he  looked  and 
likewise  his  pose.  He  had  a  fine  head  and  large  full 
forehead  which  showed  to  advantage  while  his  hat  hap- 
pened to  be  pushed  back  on  his  head.  He  was  leaning 
back  and  resting  his  shoulders  on  the  high  desk  in  the 
corridor  and  was  talking  animatedly  to  a  friend ;  and 
while  it  was  possibly  a  breach  of  etiquette,  I  managed 
to  get  within  ear-shot  and,  apparently  interested  else- 
where, heard  every  word  that  dropped  from  the  lips  of 
the  renowned  gjniecologist.  One  thing  he  said  I  shall 
never  forget,  and  that  was  if  he  had  his  professional  life 
to  live  over,  he  would  by  "hook  or  crook"  try  to  get 
more  money  out  of  it.  These  were  not  his  exact  words, 
but  they  were  the  gist  of  what  he  said.  And  he  was  not 
alone  for  many  of  us  who  have  been  in  professional  har- 
ness a  long  while  feel  the  same  way. 

The  meeting  was  held  in  McCormick  Hall  and  as  the 
Association  in  those  days  was  nothing  like  as  large  as 
now,  all  could  easily  assemble  in  one  room  and  transact 
any  and  all  business  in  general  session.  Dr.  Henry  I. 
Bowditch  of  Massachusetts  was  president  and  occupied 
the  chair  most  of  the  time. 

The  presidential  address  of  Dr.  Bowditch  was  inter- 
esting and  well  received  and  referring  to  the  social 
meetings  of  the  association  he  said,  "Among  the  most 
agreeable  memories  I  have  of  our  meeting  at  LouisArille 


Medical  Societies  309 

in  1875,  is  the  fact  that  all  our  public  entertainments 
were  conducted  on  temperance  principles. 

"This  was  peculiarly  significant  to  dwellers  outside 
the  limits  of  Kentuck3^  To  have  such  a  notable  example 
set  in  the  land  whence  comes  the  famous  Bourbon 
whiskey  was  indeed  a  triumph  for  true  temperance. 
Hereafter  we  cannot  do  better  than  follow  the  lead  in 
two  respects,  namely : 

"First:  In  its  abstinence  from  all  intoxicating 
drinks,  and 

' '  Second :  In  the  invitation  it  extended  to  women  to 
meet  with  us  in  social  intercourse. 

"But  I  could  go  a  step  further,  and  would  recom- 
mend that  the  Association  should  now  take  the  highest 
ground  against  the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  at  its 
meetings  hereafter." 

These  words  of  Dr.  Bowditch  were  brought  back  to 
me  with  especial  force  at  a  meeting  of  the  Association 
in  Chicago  in  1908,  thirty-one  years  later,  when  I  at- 
tended an  Alumni  meeting  of  the  Medical  College  of 
Oliio  graduates  at  a  certain  German  hotel,  where  the 
refreshments  served  consisted  of  beer  and  pretzels.  As 
I  was  a  total  abstainer  who  had  no  liking  for  beer,  the 
bill  of  fare  went  against  the  grain.  I  asked  for  a  cup 
of  coffee,  but  this  could  not  be  had.  Finally  I  asked  for 
a  glass  of  water  and  the  waiter  looked  at  me  with  as- 
tonishment, but  finally  got  it. 

During  his  address  President  Bowditch  emphasized 
the  importance  of  State  Boards  of  Health  and  urged  the 
representatives  from  the  various  States  where  these  or- 
ganizations were  not  yet  in  existence,  to  use  their  in- 
fluence to  secure  their  creation. 

In  that  period  only  the  following  States  had  Medi- 
cal Practice  Acts  and  State  Boards  of  Health,  namely, 
Massachusetts,  Louisiana,  California,  Virginia,  Minne- 
sota, Michigan,  Maryland,  Georgia,  Alabama,  "Wiscon- 
sin, Tennessee — eleven  in  all. 


310         Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

One  of  the  best  addresses  I  listened  to  at  that  meet- 
ing was  the  one  on  State  Medicine  and  Hygiene  by  Dr. 
Ezra  M.  Hunt  of  New  Jersey. 

Speaking  of  Sanitation  he  said,  "Today,  I  think,  we 
can  congratulate  ourselves  that  progress  is  being  more 
rapidly  made  in  our  country  than  at  any  previous  date. 
In  this  good  work  we,  as  a  profession,  mean  to  go  for- 
ward. We  are  not  afraid  that  Othello's  occupation  will 
be  gone  because  we  teach  how  to  avoid  disease,  as  well 
as  alleviate  and  overcome  it.  Our  science  and  our  art 
in  order  to  be  effective  must  also  be  precautionary.  Put 
out  all  the  storm  signals  we  may,  there  will  be  disasters 
enough.  *' 

I  thought  at  the  time,  and  I  have  not  since  had 
reason  to  change  my  mind,  that  it  was  one  of  the  finest 
and  most  scholarly  addres.<»es  I  ever  heard  from  the  lips 
of  a  physician. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  quoting  the  following  from 
the  address:  "Be  it  known  to  all  the  people  of  all  lands 
that  the  American  Medical  Association  meets  to  prevent 
as  well  as  to  alleviate  disease.  Ours  is  not  a  trades- 
union  manipulating  a  labor  system,  but  eleemosynary  as 
well  as  scientific  and  skillful." 

Noble  words,  nobly  uttered,  was  ray  verdict  when  I 
heard  them  fresh  from  the  mouth  of  the  cultured 
speaker. 

Another  man  present  at  this  meeting  was  Dr.  Henry 
A.  Martin  of  Massachusetts  who  interested  me  greatly. 
He  was  doing  his  utmost  to  have  animal  vaccination 
replace  arm-to-arm  vaccination  which  up  to  that  time 
was  in  vogue.  For  this  cause  he  delivered  a  forceful 
address  and  furthermore,  if  I  remember  correctly,  had 
near  his  home  a  herd  of  young  heifers  for  the  purpose  of 
propagating  animal  vaccine. 

Dr.  Martin  was  also  the  originator  of  the  rubber 
bandage  so  familiar  to  us  today,  but  which  at  that  time 
had  but  recently  been  put  before  the  profession  and  has 


Medical  S<k:ieties 


311 


since  been  known  as  Martin's  Bandage  in  honor  of  the 
originator. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Cabell  of  the  University  of  Virginia  made 
a  very  full  report  on  the  Etiology  of  Enteric  (Typhoid) 
Fever  which  embraced  sub-reports  from  all  over  the 
country.  At  that  time  the  germ  theory  of  disease  had 
been  tentatively  put  forward  and  was.  so  to  speak,  being 
weighed  in  the  balance.  A  few  accepted  it  hesitatingly; 
Others  were  considering  its  merits;  and  yet  others  re- 
jected it  wholly.  A  number  who  reported  to  Dr.  Ca- 
bell believed  that  typhoid  could  ori'^'inate  spontaneously; 
and  practically  all  seemed  to  tliink  tliat  meterological 
conditions  played  an   important    part. 

Among  other  notables  at  the  1877  meeting  was  E. 
R.  S(|uibb.  skilled  chemist  and  pharmacist  and  whose 
medicinal  preparatirms  had  attaiiuMJ  the  reputati(»n  of 
being  exceptionally  reliable.  Scpiibb  was  in  addition 
a  physician  and  as  such  was  a  delegate  to  the  Associ- 
ation from  the  State  of  New  York.  He  was  in  mature 
life  and  his  face  was  little  else  than  a  hideous  scar,  due 
to  a  chemical  explosion,  it  was  said. 

Dr.  S(juibl)  was  desirous  of  having  certaiii  radical 
clmnges  made  in  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopeia,  and  had 
bn)ught  the  matter  before  the  Assoeiation.  It  seemed 
that  Dr.  Squibb 's  proposition  if  carried  out  would  have 
made  certain  radical  changes  which  would  have  mater- 
ially affected  the  U.  S.  Dispensary  of  which  Dr.  George 
B.  Wood  was  one  of  the  authors  and  which  for  a  long 
series  of  years  had  been  the  standard.  The  result  was 
a  vigonnis  fight  between  Squibb  and  his  friends  on  the 
one  hand  and  the  friends  of  Dr.  Wood  on  the  other. 

The  chief  representative  of  the  Dispensatory  people 
was  Dr.  H.  C.  Wood,  a  nephew  of  Dr.  George  B.  Wood, 
a  man  then  in  the  prime  of  manly  vigor.  Dr.  H.  C. 
Wood  appealed  to  the  sentiment  of  the  audience  by 
saying  his  uncle  was  an  invalid  as  a  result  of  a  para- 


312  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

lytic  stroke  and  that  the  proposed  change  in  the  phar- 
macopeia would  be  a  source  of  annoyance  and  grief  to  a 
sadly  stricken  old  man. 

The  discussion  grew  warm  and  threatened  to  attain 
undue  length  when  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  went  up  on  the  plat- 
form and  in  a  brief,  forceful  talk,  succeeded  in  getting 
the  undivided  attention  of  the  members  and  closed  by 
moving  that  the  whole  matter  be  laid  on  the  table.  The 
motion  carried,  and  in  effect,  was  a  demonstration  of 
the  power  and  influence  of  Dr.  Davis  in  the  Association. 

Among  noted  men  in  attendance  in  addition  to  those 
mentioned,  may  be  named  Dr.  John  T.  Hodgen,  the 
well-known  St.  Louis  surgeon,  Dr.  Louis  A.  Sayre  and 
Dr.  Frank  H.  Hamilton,  prominent  New  York  surgeons. 

Dr.  S.  D.  Gross  of  Philadelphia  had  a  thoughtful 
paper  on  "The  Proximate  Cause  of  Pain."  Edmund 
Andrews  of  Chicago  presented  an  equally  thoughtful 
paper  entitled,  ''Studies  on  Rendering  Incisions  Pain- 
less by  Means  of  High  Velocities." 

For  a  number  of  years  following  1877,  I  failed  to  at- 
tend the  American  Medical  Association;  however,  in  re- 
cent years  I  have  been  more  regular.  In  1916  I  at- 
tended the  Association  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  was  in 
the  House  of  Delegates  and  was  present  when  an  invi- 
tation came  from  the  New  York  delegates  to  hold  the 
next  meeting  in  New  York  City.  I  gladly  cast  my  vote 
to  accept  this  invitation  and  so  did  a  majority  of  the 
delegates. 

In  1917  I  attended  the  meeting  in  New  York  City 
and  enjoyed  it  very  much.  One  night  during  this  meet- 
ing a  patriotic  assemblage  occurred  in  the  Hippodrome, 
a  tremendously  large  auditorium,  but  notwithstanding 
its  great  size  and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  admission 
occurred  only  by  ticket,  the  great  hall  was  filled  to  its 
full  capacity.    As  we  assembled  a  fine  band  played  patri- 


Medical,  Societies  313 

otic  selections,  ending  with  the  Star  Spangled  Banner, 
when  of  course  we  all  stood  up. 

If  I  remember  correctly  Dr.  Lambert  of  New  York 
presided  and  introduced  a  beautiful  singer  who  sang 
Britannia  Rules  the  Waves.  Meanwhile  she  displayed 
the  British  flag  and  the  audience  cheered  lustily.  Mayor 
Mitchell  made  a  ringing  speech ;  short  but  to  the  point. 
He  was  followed  by  an  eloquent  speaker  whose  name  I 
regret  to  say  I  have  forgotten.  Next  the  charming  So- 
loist came  on  the  stage  and  sang  the  Marseillaise,  a  large 
number  of  male  voices  joined  in  the  chorus,  and  mean- 
time the  Soloist  unfolded  the  French  colors.  The  ap- 
plause was  deafening. 

Dr.  George  Vincent  next  took  the  platform  and  de- 
livered one  of  his  characteristic  addresses.  Short,  in- 
cisive, to  the  point. 

Again  the  Soloist  came  on  the  stage  and  began  sing- 
ing the  Star  Spangled  Banner,  when  we  all  rose  to  our 
feet  and  joined  in  the  chorus.  Meantime  a  fine  Ameri- 
can flag  was  unfolded  and  again  the  audience  went  wild. 
Next  Theodore  Roosevelt  came  to  the  front  and  deliv- 
ered the  principal  address  of  the  evening. 

As  a  patriotic  meeting  it  was  a  pronounced  success. 
Indeed  the  atmosphere  in  the  great  Hall  was  so  satur- 
ated with  patriotism  that  one  almost  fancied  it  could  be 
cut  with  a  knife. 


XXVI 

MEDICAL  SOCIETIES,  CONTINUED 

The  American  Public  Health  Association 

We  have  to  change  the  aspect  with  which  we  look  at 
medicine.  Today  it  is  a  case  of  preventing  sickness.  I 
glory  in  it  that  ours  is  the  only  profession  on  earth  that 
is  trying  to  dest-roy  itself. — Dr.  W.  W.  Keen. 

IN  October,  1900,  I  represented  the  Illinois  State  Board 
of  Health  at  a  meeting  of  the  American  Public 
Health  Association  held  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana.  The 
time  of  the  meeting  was  in  the  month  of  October,  con- 
sequently the  weather  was  pleasant,  furthermore  there 
were  in  attendance  representative  sanitarians  from  all 
over  the  United  States  and  from  Canada  and  Mexico 
as  well.  Under  these  circumstances  it  need  hardlj^  be 
said  that  I  greatly  enjoyed  the  meeting  and  all  con- 
nected with  it. 

The  most  important  occurrence  at  this  meeting  was 
the  report  of  the  Yellow  Fever  Commission  by  its 
Chairman,  Dr.  Walter  Reed,  of  the  U.  S.  Army  Medi- 
cal Service.  Dr.  Reed's  assistants  on  the  Board  were 
Drs.  James  Carroll,  A,  Agramonte  and  J.  W.  Lazear. 
Nearly  twenty  years  before  Dr.  Carlos  Finlay  suggested 
that  the  mosquito  was  an  important  factor  in  dissemi- 
nating yellow  fever  and  Dr.  Reed  and  his  associates  re- 
solved to  prosecute  their  work  along  the  lines  of  this 
hypothesis.  This  is  no  place  for  details,  but  let  it  suffice 
to  say  that  Dr.  Carroll  and  Dr.  Lazear,  two  of  Dr. 
Reed's  assistants,  were  both  bitten  by  an  infected  mos- 
quito and  the  former  finally  recovered  from  a  severe 
attack  of  yellow  fever  and  the  latter  died  from  the 
disease.     Meantime  a  number  of  young  soldiers  volun- 

314 


Public  Health  315 

teered  to  sleep  in  beds  in  which  yellow  fever  patients 
had  died  using  the  same  soiled  sheets  and  bedclothes,  and 
not  one  of  them  contracted  the  disease. 

This  and  similar  experiences  served  to  demonstrate 
that  a  certain  mosquito,  known  to  naturalists  as  the 
Stegomyia  Calopus,  is  the  host  and  purveyor  of  yellow 
fever;  and  that  it  gets  the  infecting  agent  by  sucking 
the  blood  of  patients  suffering  from  this  ailment.  Hence 
it  follows  that  to  prevent  the  disease  the  essential  thing 
is  to  keep  the  particular  mosquito  (Stegomyia  Calopus) 
away  from  the  yellow  fever  patient. 

This  report  of  Dr.  Reed 's  he  chose  to  call  preliminary 
as  his  Committee  still  had  some  points  under  investiga- 
tion. 

Dr.  Reed  was  slight  in  stature,  had  blue  eyes,  reddish 
hair,  very  fair  complexion  and  was  a  very  unassuming 
modest  man.  Up  to  that  time  fomites,  whatever  these 
were,  had  been  accepted  by  the  profession  at  large  as 
the  infecting  agent  in  yellow  fever,  and  at  that  very 
meeting  was  a  large  illustration  of  a  boat  provided  with 
a  spray  of  some  kind  for  disinfecting  supposedly  con- 
taminated articles. 

.Some  of  the  older  sanitarians  from  the  South  where 
yellow  fever  had  from  time  to  time  prevailed  as  an  epi- 
demic, were  loath  to  accept  Dr.  Reed's  conclusion  in 
toto.  Among  these  if  I  remember  rightly  was  Dr.  Fe- 
lix Formosa  of  New  Orleans.  Dr.  Formosa  was  an 
Italian  by  birth,  had  an  attractive  personality,  was  ac- 
complished in  his  profession,  had  seen  service  in  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  Confederate  Army,  and 
taken  altogether  was  a  man  of  ripe  experience  whom 
it  was  a  pleasure  and  privilege  to  meet  and  listen  to. 
Dr.  H.  B,  Horlbeck  of  South  Carolina  was  another  old- 
time  sanitarian  who  hesitated  to  believe  that  the  mo- 
squito was  the  sole  culprit  in  disseminating  yellow 
fever. 


316  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

The  next  year,  1901,  I  was  again  the  Illinois  State 
Board  representative  at  the  American  Public  Health 
Association  held  in  Buffalo,  New  York.  .This  meeting 
occurred  in  September  and  early  in  that  month  Presi- 
dent William  McKinley  came  from  Washington  to  at- 
tend the  Pan-American  Fair  at  Buffalo.  Sad  to  say 
while  he  was  making  one  of  his  broad  humane  speeches 
on  the  Fair  Grounds  a  fiend,  in  human-form,  shot  him, 
but  it  was  thought  at  first  not  fatally.  After  suffering 
for  some  time  and  giving  every  promise  of  recovery, 
he  suddenly  grew  worse  and  died  the  day  before  the 
meeting  of  the  American  Public  Health  Association. 
The  train  I  was  on  arrived  at  Buffalo  a  little  after  sun- 
rise and  before  we  who  had  come  on  it  could  get  away 
from  the  station  the  police  suddenly  put  a  stop  to  all 
coming  and  going  to  and  from  the  station  in  order  that 
the  approaching  funeral  cortege  of  the  dead  president 
might  convey  the  body  to  a  train  that  was  in  readiness 
to  bear  it  to  Washington.  There  was  a  large  crowd  in 
and  about  the  station  and  when  the  funeral  cortege  ap- 
peared, all  hats  were  removed  and  the  most  respectful 
silence  maintained.  Everj^  one  regretted  the  death  of 
President  McKinley  and  this  included  the  many  who 
were  present  at  the  American  Public  Health  Associa- 
tion from  the  far  South — all  of  whom  were  to  a  man 
opposed  to  the  dead  president  politically.  President 
McKinley  had  broad  views,  was  kindly  in  manner,  gen- 
erous in  disposition  and  in  the  fullest  sense  was  presi- 
dent of  the  whole  country.  Under  these  circumstances 
his  loss  was  universally  deplored,  South  as  well  as  North, 
West  as  well  as  East.  An  especially  good  man  had 
fallen. 

Perhaps  the  thing  that  interested  me  most  was  Dr. 
Walter  Reed's  final  report  on  the  etiology  of  Yellow 
Fever.  This  was  seemingly  so  complete  and  conclusive 
that    there   seemed    no    room    for   criticism.     However, 


Public  Health  317 

some  of  the  old  war  horses  in  the  battles  against  yellow 
fever  in  the  past,  still  thought  that  fomites  played  its 
part  in  the  development  of  that  disease,  and  a  Dr.  A. 
N.  Bell  had  quite  an  elaborate  paper  written  to  show 
that  this  was  one  of  the  chief,  if  not  the  chief,  factor,  in 
the  development  and  spread  of  this  disease.  False  the- 
ories that  have  long  been  in  vogue  die  slowly  and  hard. 

At  this  meeting  I  met  for  the  first  time  Rudolph 
Herring,  the  noted  municipal  engineer.  One  afternoon 
in  company  with  him  and  two  other  gentlemen,  I  went 
to  the  Pan-American  Exposition,  but  really  did  not  see 
much  of  it.  The  Chicago  World's  Fair  was  not  very 
far  in  the  past  and  those  of  us  that  had  seen  that  were 
hard  to  please.  However,  when  six  o'clock  came,  I  felt 
very  tired  from  walking  around  a  good  deal  and  I  re- 
call the  ravenous  appetites  we  all  had  as  we  gathered 
about  a  very  thick  and  verj^  rich  beefsteak  with  other 
good  things  to  match. 

With  the  same  companions  I  spent  a  day  at  Niagara 
Falls.  We  took  a  boat  at  Buffalo  and  landed  above  the 
Falls  on  the  Canadian  side  and  after  viewing  the  Falls 
and  what  else  was  to  be  seen  crossed  on  the  Suspen- 
sion Bridge  to  the  American  side,  meanwhile  watching 
the  surging  stream  below  us  and  viewing  with  great  in- 
terest a  boat  load  of  passengers  that  seemed  to  approach 
very  close  to  the  torrent  of  falling  water. 

Goat  Island  and  the  superb  trees  which  grew  upon 
it  interested  me  only  a  little  less  than  the  resistless  tor- 
rent of  water  that  rushed  from  one  of  its  cliffs. 

Two  o'clock  that  day  was  the  time  appointed 
for  President  McKinley's  funeral  and  it  was  agreed 
that  as  far  as  possible  all  business  should  cease  for  the 
space  of  a  specified  time  all  over  the  United  States.  In 
Niagara  City  every  thing  was  silent  and  motionless 
when  the  time  came,  but  the  Falls,  which  by  contrast 
seemed  to  roar  all  the  louder. 


318  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

Dr.  Benjamin  Lee,  President  of  the  Association,  no 
longer  among  the  living,  delivered  a  splendid  address, 
which  was  scholarly,  interesting  and  well  adapted  to  the 
occasion. 

In  October,  1903,  the  American  Public  Health  As- 
sociation met  in  Washington,  D.  C,  and  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  represent  the  Illinois  State  Board  of  Health. 

It  was  interesting  to  note  progress  in  certain  direc- 
tions. For  illustration  practicallj'^  all  present  accepted 
the  mosquito  as  the  active,  and  only  agent,  in  the  spread 
of  yellow  fever,  and  a  number  of  reports  were  made 
showing  the  pronounced  success  of  measures  for  pre- 
vention of  the  disease  which  involved  the  keeping  of 
the  patient  and  the  insect  as  widely  separated  as  pos- 
sible. For  this  purpose  every  case  was  carefully 
screened  and  all  places  where  the  stegomyia  calopus 
could  use  as  a  breeding  spot  were  screened,  treated  with 
coal  oil,  etc. 

The  rigid  enforcement  of  these  means  practically 
stamped  out  the  disease  in  Havana  and  a  number  of 
Mexican  cities. 

Sad  to  say,  Major  Walter  Reed  whose  epoch-making 
work  in  demonstrating  that  the  mosquito  is  the  active 
agent  in  the  spread  of  yellow  fever,  had  sickened  and 
died  not  long  after  his  final  report  on  this  subject  to 
the  American  Public  Health  Association.  In  fact,  ru- 
mor had  it  that  exposure  while  making  his  j^ellow  fever 
investigations  was  a  contributing  cause  to  his  early 
death. 

At  the  time  of  the  meeting  Theodore  Roosevelt  was 
president  and  he  consented  to  give  the  Association  a 
reception  and  fixed  a  time  for  this.  Some  of  the  mem- 
bers from  the  South  were  loath  to  attend  for  the  reason 
that  a  little  time  before  President  Roosevelt  had  invited 
Booker  Washington  to  lunch  with  him.  However,  when 
the  hour  came  I  think  practically  all  the  members  went 
to  the  White  House  and  met  the  president.    We  formed 


Public  He^vlth  319 

in  line  and  Dr.  Wyman,  the  president  of  the  Associa- 
tion, presented  us.  When  my  time  came  Dr.  Wyman 
said,  '*Dr.  Johnson  of  Illinois."  President  Roosevelt 
grasped  my  hand,  pressed  it  and  said  in  his  earnest 
way,  "Dr.  Johnson,  I  am  (idighted  to  meet  you,"  and 
strange  to  say,  his  manner  was  so  magnetic  that  for  a 
few  seconds  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  was  the  only  one  in 
the  room  that  he  was  especially  glad  to  see.  In  that  day 
he  was  of  medium  stature  and  had  not  grown  heavy  as 
was  the  case  later  in  life.  He  was  dressed  in  a  gray  suit 
and  seemed  and  acted  like  a  plain,  every-day  American 
citizen. 

During  the  meeting  one  day  after  dinner  we  took  a 
boat  at  the  wharf  and  went  down  the  Potomac  river  to 
Mount  Vernon.  Upon  landing  we  went  first  to  Wash- 
ington's tomb  and  when  looking  at  the  sarcophagus  and 
reading  the  inscriptions  I  had  a  strange  feeling  come 
over  me, — a  kind  of  awe  which  I  never  felt  before.  We 
went  in  the  house,  looked  at  the  many  interesting  things, 
visited  the  kitchen  and  could  not  resist  thinking  how 
greatly  behind  our  day  the  people  of  the  Revolutionary 
period  were.  We  visited  the  old  barn  and  stables  and 
were  amazed  at  the  great  size  and  apparent  clumsiness 
of  Washington's  family  coach  or  carriage.  We  stood  in 
front  of  the  old  mansion,  looked  up,  down  and  across 
the  Potomac  and  realized  that  we  were  viewing  the  same 
scenery  that  so  often  met  Washington's  eyes  and  in 
which  he  took  such  pride  and  satisfaction.  We  turned 
our  steps  toward  the  large  garden  kept  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible as  its  distinguished  owner  had  it,  perhaps  nothing 
in  this  was  more  striking  that  the  box-hedge  trimmed 
in  the  old-time  way. 

Near  the  garden  fence  we  were  shown  a  tree,  of  some 
hardwood  variety,  planted  by  President  Buchanan 
nearly  a  half  century  before,  and  now  about  two  feet 
in  diameter. 


320  Sixty  Years  in  the  IMedical  Harness 

Recalling  the  circumstauces  of  "Washington's  death 
in  December,  1799,  some  of  us  went  back  in  the  mansion 
and  with  much  interest  inspected  the  upstairs,  half -story- 
room  in  which  he  died.  On  a  raw  winter's  day  ^Vash- 
ington  rode  out  on  his  plantation  to  inspect  some  work, 
it  began  to  drizzle,  then  a  light  snow  fell  and  when  he 
got  back  to  the  mansion  his  clothes  were  damp  and  his 
wife  noticed  there  was  snow  in  his  hair,  but  he  refused 
to  put  on  dry  things.  Next  morning  he  got  up  with 
symptoms  of  a  cold  and  remained  about  the  house  and 
at  bedtime  retired  as  usual.  The  members  of  his  house- 
hold suggested  the  propriety  of  his  taking  something 
for  his  cold;  meanwhile  no  little  hoarseness  had  devel- 
oped. In  the  middle  of  the  night  the  patient  began  to 
chill  and  felt  a  verj-  disagreeable  tightness  about  his 
throat.  Mrs.  Washington  wanted  to  get  up  and  do 
something  for  his  relief  but  the  patient  would  not  per- 
mit this,  fearing  the  exposure  of  his  wife  in  the  cold 
room  in  which  the  fire  had  died  down  on  the  hearth  not 
long  after  bedtime. 

However,  when  morning  approached  a  servant  was 
called  and  a  fire  started.  ^Meanwhile  a  messenger  had 
been  sent  for  the  foreman  who  under  "Washington's  di- 
rection bled  the  patient,  not  as  freely,  however,  as  was 
desired,  owing  to  Mrs.  Washington's  interposition  and 
request  that  no  more  blood  be  drawn.  A  trusted  servant 
on  horseback  went  as  speedily  as  circumstances  would 
permit,  to  Alexandria  for  Dr.  Craig,  the  physician  and 
life-long  friend  of  Washington,  who  hurried  to  the  bed- 
side of  his  distinguished  patient  as  fast  as  horseflesh 
could  take  him.  Arrived  at  his  destination  Dr.  Craig 
soon  realized  that  Washington  was  suffering  from  acute 
lar%Tigitis  and  in  accordance  with  the  teachings  of  the 
day  the  patient  was  once  more  bled — this  time  very 
freely.  As  soon  as  they  could  be  procured  two  physi- 
cians were  called  in  consultation,  additional  bleedings 


Public  Health  321 

were  resorted  to  and  calomel  and  tartar  emetic  admin- 
istered freely,  but  in  spite  of  all  Washington  grew  worse 
and  worse  and  on  the  morning  of  December  14,  1799, 
took  his  last  breath;  and  to  use  his  own  words,  "paid 
the  final  debt  which  we  all  owe  to  nature. ' ' 

When  a  youth  I  had  with  great  interest  read  Irving 's 
life  of  Washington  and  this  charming  writer  in  his  in- 
imitable way  had  described  Mount  Vernon,  Washing- 
ton's home-life  there  and  family,  his  last  sickness  and 
death.  As  I  had  read  all  this  in  what  was  my  most 
impressionable  years,  it  stuck,  as  a  boy  would  say.  This 
being  true  I  especially  enjoyed  my  visit  to  Mount  Ver- 
non though  not  made  till  fifty  years  later,  or  thereabouts. 

Nothing  about  the  premises  impressed  me  more  than 
the  bareness  and  general  dreariness  of  the  room  in  which 
Washington  died  and  in  looking  at  it  I  called  to  mind 
the  inadequate  means  that  were  necessarily  brought  to 
bear  in  his  fatal  illness.  In  comparison  I  could  but 
think  of  the  well  equipped  sick  room  of  the  commonest 
citizen  of  our  time  and  of  the  little  that  was  at  Wash- 
ington's command.  Of  the  trained  nurse,  furnace  heat, 
hot  and  cold  water,  electric  light,  not  to  speak  of  many 
other  conveniences ;  while  near  at  hand  was  the  tele- 
phone, telegraph  and  automobile  (not  to  name  airships 
and  the  radio),  now  at  the  command  of  practically  all. 

In  only  one  thing  did  the  old  time  sick  room  compare 
favorably  with  the  modern  and  that  was  in  love  and 
devotion  to  the  patient.  The  humanities  have  always 
been  the  same. 

While  in  Washington  I  took  occasion  to  visit  the 
various  places  of  interest  and  among  these  the  Wash- 
ington Monument.  At  its  base  I  took  the  elevator  and 
went  to  its  top,  something  like  five  hundred  feet 
above  the  earth,  and  as  a  fierce  wind  was  blowing  at  the 
time  the  height  seemed  all  the  more  dizzy. 

I  went  out  to  Rock  Creek  and  saw  the  arch  across 
this,  said  to  be  the  longest  of  its  kind  in  the  country, 


322  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medicat>  Harness 

and,  furthermore,  had  the  distinction  of  having  been 
erected  when  Jefferson  Davis  was  Secretary  of  War, 
and  once  his  name  was  engraved  at  the  base  to  express 
this  fact  to  any  who  cared  to  know,  but  in  Civil  War 
days  his  name  was  erased  in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  be- 
came one  of  the  country's  most  inveterate  enemies. 

I  went  across  the  Potomac  and  visited  Arlington,  the 
home  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee  before  the  Civil  War, 
and  the  gift  of  Washington  to  George  Washington  Park 
Custis,  the  father-in-law  of  Lee.  As  all  the  world  knows 
Arlington  is  now  a  Federal  Cemetery  and  literally  cov- 
ered with  the  graves  of  Union  soldiers,  some  of  whom 
were  distinguished  officers.  A  Union  soldier  myself 
all  this  appealed  to  me  with  peculiar  interest.  As  is 
customary  with  all  visitors  I  went  in  the  interesting  old 
mansion  and  duly  recorded  my  name,  and  from  its 
porch  looked  across  the  river  and  viewed  the  beautiful 
picture  presented  by  the  capital  and  its  many  famous 
structures  and  other  notable  objects.  In  doing  this  I 
could  but  think  what  Robert  E.  Lee  had  lost  when  he 
decided  to  turn  his  back  on  his  country,  that  had  edu- 
cated him,  and  make  war  on  its  flag,  for  which  he  had 
fought  in  all  the  conflicts  since  he  left  West  Point  and 
under  whose  folds  he  had  sought  and  obtained  protec- 
tion since  his  first  breath.  I  said  to  myself,  verily  the 
way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard.  The  time  of  my  visit 
was  October  and  the  leaves  of  many  of  the  trees  at  Ar- 
lington had  turned  to  most  beautiful  gold  and  the  rich- 
est crimson. 

Speaking  of  General  Lee  I  was  greatly  impressed 
by  a  picture  I  saw  in  the  Corcoran  Art  Building  entitled, 
if  I  remember  correctly,  * '  Sunset  at  Appomattox. ' '  The 
artist  had  represented  Lee  in  superb  manly  maturity, 
sitting  on  a  fallen  log,  his  noble  war-horse.  Traveler, 
nearby,  and  his  handsome  face  wearing  an  expression  of 
becoming  sadness,  which  the  just  transpired  surrender 
to  Grant  would  explain  and  justify. 


Public  Health  323 

As  the  reader  has  doubtless  already  inferred  this 
was  my  first  visit  to  Washington  and  that  I  was  greatly 
interested  in  all  I  saw  goes  without  saying.  I  went  over 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  and  greatly  enjoyed  the  scenery 
as  we  passed  through  the  Alleghanies,  both  going  and 
coming.  The  reader  will  all  the  more  realize  my  appre- 
ciation of  this  when  I  say  that  I  was  prairie-born  and 
for  the  greater  part  of  my  existence,  in  fact  all  of  it 
save  the  three  years  I  passed  in  the  South  in  the  Union 
Army,  I  have  lived  a  prairie-life  in  scenery-tame  Illi- 
nois. When  we  reached  the  AUeghanies  on  our  way  to 
Washington  I  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  man  from 
Texas,  who  had  a  son  attending  the  Virginia  Military 
Institute  and  who  had  been  stricken  with  typhoid  fever 
so  serious  in  character  that  his  early  death  was  antici- 
pated. In  the  heart  of  the  AUeghanies  we  reached  the 
place  where  my  Texas  acquaintance  was  to  transfer 
and  as  I  bade  him  bood-bye  I  could  but  think  of  the  sad 
mission  he  was  going  on ;  for  a  physician  I  knew  that 
if  his  son  was  yet  alive,  he  would  in  all  probability  be 
found  in  that  heavy,  comatose  condition  which  the  ty- 
phoid toxins  always  produce. 

The  forest  trees  all  through  the  AUeghanies  were 
in  gorgeous  October  colors.  The  oaks  and  dogwoods  in 
bright  crimson,  the  maples  in  resplendent  gold,  and  the 
woodbine  in  richest  purple. 

Fate  decreed  that  this  Washington  meeting  of  the 
American  Public  Health  Association  was  to  be  the  last 
which  I  was  to  attend  for  many  long  years.  Indeed, 
fifteen  years  intervened  between  the  Washington  meet- 
ing in  1903  and  another  in  Chicago,  in  1918,  when  I 
was  present.  The  date  of  this  meeting  had  been  set  for 
October  but  the  prevalence  of  the  "flu"  caused  its  post- 
ponement till  the  second  week  in  December. 

This  1918  meeting  was  well  attended  and  the  first 
thing  that  attracted  my  attention  on  going  in  the  place 


324  Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

of  meeting  in  the  new  Morrison  Hotel  was  the  absence 
of  familiar  faces.  I  recalled  among  the  doctors  I  used 
to  see  and  meet  the  names  of  William  Bailey,  Benjamin 
Lee,  Walter  Reed,  Alvah  H.  Doty,  George  M.  Sternberg, 
Walter  Wyman,  P.  H.  Bryce,  Jesus  Chico  (Mexican 
representative),  H,  B.  Horlbeck,  Felix  Formenta,  H. 
M.  Bracken,  J.  N.  Hurty ;  and  in  addition  D.  E.  Salmon, 
W.  H.  Brewer,  and  Rudolph  Herring.  Of  this  list  few, 
very,  very  few,  w^ere  present  to  answer  to  their  names 
had  there  been  a  roll-call.  And  the  scarce  three  or  four 
present  of  those  named,  had  somehow  grown  aged  since 
I  last  saw  them.  But  the  good  and  sufficient  reason  why 
the  greater  part  of  those  named  were  absent  was  be- 
cause they  had  crossed  to  the  other  shore. 

The  principal  disease  discussed  at  nearly  all  the  ses- 
sions was  the  great  pandemic  of  Influenza  from  whose 
throes  the  country  was  not  yet  wholly  free.  As  I  else- 
where treat  of  these  discussions  at  lengh,  I  will  not  con- 
sider them  here. 

Near  noon-time  one  day  in  response  to  an  invitation 
by  the  Swift  people,  we  boarded  an  elevated  train  and 
went  out  to  the  stockyards  and  in  one  of  the  Swift 
Buildings,  entered  a  large  dining-room  and  in  due  time 
were  served  with  a  so-called  luncheon — in  fact  a  good 
dinner  for  which  we  all  had  not  neglected  to  have  along 
our  several  good  appetites. 

After  this  we  all — for  there  were  several  hundred  of 
us — went  up,  up,  up,  in  an  elevator  and  saw  live  hogs 
start  down,  down,  down,  till  they  became  sausage,  prop- 
erly dressed  feet  and  joles  and  well  salted  sides,  should- 
ers and  hams.  We  were  given  opportunity  to  see  live 
cattle  start  in  and  come  out  as  had  the  hogs,  but  I  had 
seen  enough  of  this  for  one  day  and  so  declined  the  last 
bit  of  sightseeing,  with  due  thanks  to  our  obliging 
hosts. 

Dr.  Charles  J.  Hastings  of  Toronto,  Canada,  was  the 


Public  Health  325 

presiding  officer  at  this  meeting  of  the  American  Public 
Health  Association.  He  was  gray,  his  face  was  much 
cris-crossed  by  wrinkles  and  altogether  he  had  a  ven- 
erable look,  but  he  was  alert  and  attentive  to  his  duties 
as  presiding  officer.  I  met  him  and  after  a  little  con- 
versation took  occasion  to  ask  his  age  and  found  him 
to  be  sixty-one,  about  fourteen  years  my  junior.  Think 
of  it !  Well,  ' '  the  good  die  young, ' '  and  the  old  some- 
how manage  to  "carry  on." 

Reverting  to  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  it 
may  be  said  of  that  organization  that  it  has  this  j'ear 
(1925)  celebrated  its  Diamond  (75th)  Anniversary  and 
the  Historical  Committee,  of  which  I  happen  to  be  one, 
is  publishing  a  history  of  the  Society  and  likewise  a 
historical  sketch  of  medicine  in  the  State.  Of  this  So- 
ciety I  am  the  oldest  active  member  and,  as  far  as  I  can 
ascertain,  am  the  only  member  living  who  attended  the 
Jacksonville  meeting  fifty  years  ago.  While  it  may 
smack  of  egotism,  yet  that  I  have  prepared  and  read  be- 
fore the  Society  more  papers  than  any  other  one  of  my 
colleagues  is  but  a  historical  fact. 

Finally  it  has  been  my  fortune  to  witness  the  passing 
to  the  Great  Beyond  of  many,  many  friends  and  col- 
leagues in  the  profession,  the  last  two  of  whom  were  Dr. 
Norman  Bridge,  my  class  mate  and  friend  for  nearly 
sixty  years,  and  Dr.  D.  W.  Graham,  long  my  beloved 
friend  and  Civil  War  comrade.  The  last  time  I  saw 
Dr.  Graham,  December  3,  1924,  I  had  occasion  to  refer  to 
several  of  our  medical  friends  who  had  died  not  long  be- 
fore, when  he  spoke  up  and  said,  "  I  '11  be  the  next  one. ' ' 
Naturally  I  was  surprised  and  shocked  but  ventured  to 
ask,  "Why  do  you  say  this?"  "Because,"  said  he,  "I 
have  carcinoma  of  the  esophagus."  His  prediction 
proved  to  be  all  too  true,  for  in  less  than  three  months 
he,  too,  had  joined  the  Silent  Majority. 

In  my  youthful  days,  Tom  Moore,  the  Irish  Poet, 


326         Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 

was  very  popular  and  I  recall  some  lines  of  his  that  are 

apropos : 

When  I  remember  all 

The  friends  so  linked  together 

I've  seen  around  une  fall 

Liike  leaves  in  wintry  weather; 

I  feel  like  one 

Who  treads  alone 
Some  banquet  hall  deserted, 

Whose  lights  are  fled, 

Whose  garlands  dead, 
And  all  but  he  departed. 


INDEX 


Abstainer,  an,  228 

a  "soaked",  233-4 
Abstainers,  227,  309 
Abstinence,  309 
Academy,  Pocahontas,  12 
Act,   Illinois   Medical   Practice,   84, 
164 

Committee  to  secure,  164 
Acts,  Medical  Practice,  309 
Address,  an  eloquent,  78-9 
Aesculapian  Society  of  Wabash  Val- 
ley, 170,  182,  274 
Again  a  citizen,  8 
Ann  Arbor,  11,  12-20 
"Ager,"  150 

Agromonte,  Dr.  A.,  314 
Ahead  of  his  times,  261,  265,  272 
"Ambraw"  river,  134 
Anatomy,  18,  19,  26-8 

Gray's,  1,  80,  138 
American    Journal   of   Medical   Sci- 
ences, 72,  80 

Medical    Association,    307,    310, 
312,  313 

Public   Health   Association,   314, 
316,  323 

Practitioner,  177,  185,  204 
Andrews,  Dr.  Edmund,  38,  304,  312 

John  E.,  256-7 
Aneurism,  65-6 

Anesthesia,  first  operation  under,  73 
Angel  of  Mercy,  3-4 
Appendicitis,  199-200 
Appendectomy,  199,  200 
Appliances,  some  medical,  83,  148 
Asepsis,  123,  142 
Anti-sepsis,  5,  8,  43,  123,  141-2 
Atlee,  John  L..,  74 

Washington  L.,  74 
Accidents,  cycle  of,  169 
Advice,  remarkable,  221-3 
Altruism,  professional,  217,  218 


327 


Ampitheatre,  in  the,  12-20 

again  in  the,  136-146 
Abortion,  126 
Ann  Arbor,  11-30 

"Alcohol  Problem  and  Health  Con- 
science," 232 

Problem,  227-237 

some  victims  of,  231-5 
All-arounder,  an,  215 
Appliances,  new,  82,  148 
Armor,  Samuel  G.,  16-19 
Army  bed,  2-3 
Atmosphere,  a  loaded,  196 
Anopholes  mosquito,  9 
Author,  a  favorite,  263 
"Ague-Cake,"  98 
Autocrat,  a  medical,  178 

B 
Badge,  a  fitting,  307 
"Batch,"  keeping,  33-38 
Ball,  Minnie,  5 
Balances,  weighed  in,  201-2 
Banquet,  274-282 

Bartholow,  Dr.  Roberts,  74,  203-4 
Baum,  Dr.  Z.  T.,  276 
Beau,  an  awkward,  23-4 
Bed-fellow,  a  drunken,  142-3 
Bedford,  Dr.  Gunning  S.,  267 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  161-2 
Bell,   Dr.  A.  H.,   317 
Beer  and  Pretzels,  309 
Bernard,  Claude,  76 
Bevan,  Dr.   (sr.),  38-9 
Bible,  my  medical,  264 
Bibliophile,  a,  104 
Bilious  fever,  9,  48,  97,  158,  151 
Birney.  Dr.  S.  H.,  164,  301-3 
Bridge,  Dr.  Norman,  32-3,  83 
Bond  County,  9,  12 
Books,  some,  1,  8 
Boneset   (plant),  213 
Bowditch,  Dr.  I.  H.,  308-9 
Brown-Sequard,  76 


328 


Slxty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 


Buck,  Reverend  Hiram,  129 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  316 
Blue  quinine,  152 
"Bully!"  "Bully!"  129 
Business,  a  vile,  207 
Burying  Ground,  soldiers',  4-5 
Butler,  General  B.  F.,  30 
Byford,  Dr.  W.  H.,  40 

C 
Caldwell,  Mrs.,  3-4 

Dr.  W.  B.,  255-6 
Cairo,  111.,  7-8 
Calls,  answering,  209,  211 
Camp   Butler,   8 
Cannon,  Congressman  Joseph,  170-2 

Dr.  E.  B.,  170 
Carroll,   Dr.  James,  314 
Carson,  Dr.  W.  B.,  141 
Case,  a  pathetic,  242 
Chambers,  Dr.  W.  M.,  171,  180 
Champaign  City,  113,   183 

County,  119,  121 
Character,  a  unique,  121-3 
Chatham,  111.,  89,  90-98,  120 
Clarke,  Dr.  Horace,  67 
Clavicle,  a  dislocated,  168 
Class,  a  very  large,  15 
Circuit,  rider,  a,  130-1 
Citizen,  a  shame-faced,  230 
Civil  War,  1,  2,  9,  39,  198 

bed,  2 

blanket,  2-3 

bullet,  5 

diseases,  1-4 

experiences,  1-8,  29 

Era,  3,  114,  233,  266 

injuries,  5-6,  29 
Cincinnati,  138-147,  179 

Clinicians,  141-2 
Chicago,  10-11,  32-46 

fire,  137 
Medical    Journal    and    Examiner, 

300 
Chill,  congestive,  10 
Children's  diseases,  114,  148-9 
Collectors,  poor,  216,  217 
College  Campus,  14,  15 

Chicago  Medical,  32-46,  137 

Missouri  Medical,  56,  61 


Ohio  Medical,  136-147 
Rush  Medical,  32-3,  36-7 
St.  Louis  Medical,  56-70 

Cook,  Dr.  E.  B.,  301 

Comrade,  a  hospitable,  88 

Comrades,  some,  89 

Comegys,  Dr.,  141 

Confederacy,  the,  6,  57,  60 

Consultant,  a  dangerous,  153-6 

Contagion,  no  ban  on,  160 

Conservatism,  surgical,  81,  148 

Congressman,  Albert  Johnson,  109 

Conner,  Dr.  P.  S.,  130 

Confreres,  my,  158-9,  299 

Conciliation,  a,  68 

Controversy,  a  warm,  311 

Country  doctor,  a,  201,  214,  215,  275 

Corn,  to  the,  133-4 

Croup,  192-3 

Chloroform,  free  use  of,  82-3 

Cholera  morbus,  114 

Cure-all,  222-3 

Currettement,  126 

D 

DaCosta,  Dr.  J.  M.,  267 

Dana,  Richard  Henry,  242-3 

Darrah,  Dr.  A.  T.,  301-3 

Davis,  Dr.  N.  S.,  36-8,  73,  204,  299, 

312 
Drake,  Dr.  Daniel,  59-60 

C.  St.  John.  253 
Dawson,  Dr.  W.  W.,  138,  147 
Derelict,  a  medical,  63 
Deaths,  two  tragic,  6-7 
Death  of  President  McKinley,  316 
Dead  beats,  medical,  93 
Diagnosis,  under  difficulties,  184-5 
Diamond  in  the  rough,  21-2 
Diphtheria,  160-1,  190-3 

Tolono  epidemic  of  ,159,  161,  175- 

6 
Dirt,   grime   and   disease,   117,   127, 

219 
Disease,  definition  of,  269 
Prevention,  2,  162,  310 
Diseases,  Civil  War,  2 
Dissipation,  a  wave  of,  228 
Dissecting,  26-8 
Drouth,  severe,  31,  159 


Index 


329 


Douglas,  Dr.  S.  H.,  12-16 

Doctor,  our  "singing,"  274-282 
a  famed,  102 

Dudley,  Dr.  E.  C,  194-5 

Duty,  three-fold,  217-218 

Drugs,  some  new,  147 

Ductless  glands,  307 
E 

Egan,  Dr.  James  A.,  251-2 

Eberle,  Dr.  John,  198-9 

Eberth,  Dr.  Carl  J.,  198-9 

"Ectomies,"   148 

Eggleston,  Edward,  130-1 

Emergency  surgery,  81,  148 

Emmet,  Dr.  Thomas  A.,  195 

Etherization,  first,  73 

Expectoration,  reckless,  113,  122 

Example,  an  unfortunate,  231,  249, 
250 

Examination,  physical,  4 

Effigy,  hung  in,  257 

Epizootic,  293-4 

Epoch-making  work,  318 
F 

Faces,  absent,  323 

Faculty,  U.  of  M.,  Medical,  16 
Ohio  Medical,  138-140 

Fancy,  an  odd,  279,  280 

Farm  work,  9 

Farmer,  a  prosperous,  86 

Fenger,  Dr.  Christian,  205 

Fever,  malarial,  9,  25,  32 
purpural,  101-2,  264-5 
typhoid,  48,  101,  161,  204 
typho-malarial,  99,  100 

Fractures,  an  "epidemic"  of,  162 

Freight,  some  peculiar,  26-8 

Flies,  Typhoid,  112,  113 

Flint,  Dr.  Austin,  202 

Fiancee,  Washington  Irving's,  243-4 

Finlay,  Dr.  Carlos,  314 

Fitz,  Dr.  Reginald,  199 

Fishermen,  disappointed,  36-7 

Friend  in  need,  145 

Fomites,  315 

Formenta,  Dr.,  315 

Ford,  Dr.  C.  L.,  18-19,  138-9 

Flora,  Illinois,  8,  9 

"Front,"  an  envied,  87 


Founder  of  G.  A.  R.,  91 
"Flu,"  291-4 

in  the  old  days,  306 

G 

Graduation,  144-7 

Graham,  Dr.  David  W,  325-6 

James  M.,  140 
Gem,  a  poetic,  276-7 
Germ  Theory,  175-6,  296,  299 

paper  on,  175-6 
Gerhard,  Dr.  W.  W.,  71 
Greely,  Horace,  29-30 
Green,  Dr.,  64 
Greenville,  111.,  9,  51 
"Grip"  (Lagrippe),  283-291 

best  article  on,  291 
Gobrecht,  Dr.  W.  M.,  138 
Good's  Study  of  Medicine,  259,  260 
Griffith,  Dr.  B.  M.,  93,  249 
Gross,  Dr.  S.  D.,  72,  308 
"Gone  before,"  325-6 
Gunn,  Dr.  Moses,  16-17,  31-4 

H 
Habit,  a  hounding,  248-250 
"Had  the  cake,"  63 
Hardships,  old  time,  118 
Hartshorn,  Dr.  Henry,  201 
Harvey,  Dr.  Wm.,  200 
Hastings,   Dr.   C.   H.,  224-5 
Haven,  Dr.  E.  O.,  31 
Heart-straining  work,    216 
Health  officer,  189 

enforcement,   156,   160,  191 
Heberdeen,  269,  270 
Hell,  at  gates  of,  156 

taking  one  to,  58 
Hinkle,    Dr.   J.    M.,   177 
History  repeats  itself,   131 
Hoeing  my  own  row,  184 
Hodge,   Dr.   Hugh  L.,  72,   101,  172 
Hodgen,  Dr.  John  T.,  61-8,  312 
Hollister,   Dr.  J.   H.,   36,   163,   301-2 
Holmes,  Dr.  O.  W.,  40,  72-3,  102, 

265 
Home,  a  model,  128 
Honorarium,   a  generous,   46 
Horlbeck,  Dr.  H.  S.,  215 
Horse,  prayer  of,  211,  212 


330 


Sixty  Years  in  the  Medical  Harness 


Horses,   210,   212 
Hung  in  effigy,  257 
"Hymn,  a  long,  69 
"Horns  and  hoofs,"  166-7 
Hospital,   Bumham,   256 

Cincinnati,   140 

City    (St.   Louis),   67 

Cook  County,  36,  193-6 

Field,   1-7 

Good  Samaritan,  141 

Mercy,   36-40 

Regimental,   1-6 

Steward,   1-7 

I 

Idiosyncrasy,  an,  22-3 
Illinois  Corn  Belt,  85,  132,  275 
State    Medical    Society,    163,    301, 
325 

Meeting  at  Champaign,  397 
Jacksonville,  163 
Urbana,   301-3 

papers  read  before,  300-306 
Inflamation,  86,  202,  263 
Illiopolis,   120 
Indianapolis,    178-9,  314 
Imigration,  Bill,  109 
Influenza,  283,  294 

bacillus,  82,  85-6 
Injuries,  Civil  War,  6,  29 

Railway,   169 
Instructors,  some   noted,  71 
In  print,  177 
"Itis,"  96 

Interest,  a  thing  of,  51 
Investigators,  four  famous,   311 
Intubation,   191-2 

J 
"Jack,"  old,  211 
Jacksonville,  Illinois,  163 
Jenner,   Dr.  Robert,  306 
Jewell,  Dr.  J.  S.,  35,  42-6 
Johnson,  Albert,   109 

Charles  W.,  89,  90,  109 

Dr.  George  T.,  158,  192-3 

President  Andrew,   30 
"Johny"  cake,  115,  116 
Journal,  A.  M.  A.,  207-8,   255 
Journals,   many,   80 
"Jist  a  common  'tater,"  221 


K 

Kerosene,  118 

"Keystone"   of   medical   science,   81 

Klebs,   199 

Klebs-Leofler  bacillus,  160-1 

Kinsman,  my,  85 

"Knife  on  it,"  19 

Koch,   Dr.  Robert,   198 

Koch's  postulate,   198 

L 
La  grippe,  paper  on,  2 
Landlady,  a  ladylike,   21-4 

confiding,    68-9 
Landlord,  a  gentlemanly,  21,  193-6 
Landlords,  my,   21-3,    103-6 
"Land  of  promise,"  a,  119 
"Laudable  pus,"  5,  39,  74,  82 
Lazear,  Dr.  J.  W.,  314 
Leaders,   some,   75 
Lectures,  some  lay,  29 
Lee,  Dr.  Benjamin,  318 

General  Robert  E.,  322 
Lewitt,  Dr.  Wm.,   16,  20 
Lie,  a  white,   13 
Life,  a  dual,  105 

in  60's  and  70's,  110-118 
Lister,  Dr.  Joseph,  71,  75,  183-4,  268 
Link,  Dr.  J.  E.,  178 
Literature,   some   good,   54,   124 
Livingston,  Dr.  David,  168 
Log  Cabin,  115 
Loomis,  Dr.  A.  L.,  202 
Louisville    Practitioner  and  News, 

184,  188,  287,  299 
Love,  Dr.  Isaac  N.,  62,  70. 

M 
M.   D.,  a  full  fledged,   147 
"Make  room  for  me,"  278-9 
Malaria,  9,  25,  32,  97-100 
Malarial  compounds,  158 
complications,  90,  96 
"Man  proposes,  God   disposes,"  47 
Martini,  Dr.  W.  C,  247 
Massie,  Dr.  W.  M.,  171-2 
Matthews,  Dr.  J.   N.,  274,  282 
Matriculating,  12-13 
Mayor  Mitchell,  313 
Mechnikoff,  Eli,  199 
Medicine,  Academy  of,  141 


Index 


331 


Medicines,    patent,    207 

dependable,  96-7 
Medical  Practice  Acts,  309 

Societies,  295-326 
Meeting  House,  stealing  a,  25 

a   patriotic,313,   318 
Meigs,  Dr.  Chas.  D.,  72 
"Membraneous   sore  throat,"   192-3 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  13 
Militant    Monticello,    255-7 
Miller,  Dr.  A.  J.,  171,  182 
Mississippi  river,  6,  7,  57,  70 
Mitchell,   Dr.  H.  C,  42,  45 

S.  Weir,  73 
Mistake,  an  innocent,  49 
Mistakes,  some  doctors,  48,  65,  95, 

141 
McDowell   College,   56-61 

Dr.   Ephriam,  59 

Dr.   J.  N.,   57-61 

Dr.    (jr.),  64 
McKown,  Dr.  J.  M.,  179,  275-6 
McNary,  Dr.  J.  P.,  306 
Morton,  Dr.  W.  G.  T.,  73,  82 
Morgue,   our,   4 
"My  own  hook,"  184 
McGuffy's  Readers,  54 
Murphy,   Dr.   J.   B.,   17 

N 
Names,   some   prominent,   303 
Nelson,  Dr.  D.  T.,  40 
New  Orleans,  6 
New,  coming  of  the,  99 
Nichols,   Dr.  Maude,  239 
Nickles,   Dr.   Samuel,   139 
Noble  words,  310 
Notables,  some,   303 
Nurses,  39 

O 
Occasion,   a   trying,   177-180 
"Okaw"   river,   134 
Obstetrics,  pioneer,    123-6 
Obstetrician,  a  ponderous,  165-6 
Obstetricians   gone   wrong,   72,    103 
Office,  an  up-to-date,  64 
Official,  a  timid,  180 
"Old  Jack,"  211 
Operations,  some,  154,  195-6 
Open  house,  an,  122 


Opponent,   an   obstinate,   203-4,   299 
Optomist  and  pessimist,  224-6 

a  pronounced,  145 
Osier,  Dr.  Wm.,  202 
Our  "Singing"   Doctor,   244-7 
Outlook  Sanatorium,  239,  240,  244-7 

P 
Pageant,  a  booze,  233 
Paget,  Sir  James,  74-5 
Palmer  House,   308 
Palmer,  Dr.  A.  B.,  16,  18 
Paper,  My  first,  175-6 
Papers,   some,   305-6 
Pandemic,  a  world's,  283,  294 
Park,   Dr.  Roswell,   306 
Parvin,  Dr.  Theophilis,  178-9 
Paris,   Illinois,   180 
Pasteur,   Louis,  71,   198 
Patent   medicines,    207-8 
Patients,  my  first,  22-109 
Pasteur,  Louis,  199 
Patient,  my  first,  92-3 

a  Southern,  43-6 
Patients,   filthy,   117,   127,  219 
Patriotic  meeting,  312,  313 
Phrase,  turning  a,  31 
Plasmodium   malaria,    131-2 
Practice,  works  on,  259,  260 
On  the  prairies,  119-135,  147-150 
Prayer,  a  horse's,  211,  212 
Predecessor,  my,  107-9 
Prescott,  Dr.  A.  B.,  16,  20 
Prewitt,    Dr.,    64-5 
Peasants,  some  German,  127-8 
Pearman,  Dr.  J.  T.,  183,  234 
Persecutor,  a  venomous,  256 
People   and   things,   21-3 

how  they  lived,  110 
Pessimist,  a  pronounced,  223-6 
Pepper,   Dr.  Wm.,   204 
Pneumonia,   98-9,  205 
Preventive  Medicine,  197-9,  310 
Phillips,   Wendell,    29-30 
Pillars,  three  medical,   171,   295 
Poems,  some  beautiful,   273,   282 
Print,   in,   177 

Pope,  Dr.  Charles  T.,  53,  66-7 
Potato,  a  healing,  221 
Publications,  American,  73-7 


332 


Sixty  Years  in  the  MediCx^l  Harness 


English,  77 

some  great,  78-81 
Pulse,  much  made  of,  262-3 
Pulling  him  through,  144 

Q 

Quarantine,  not  permitted,  232-3 
Quinine  and  Peruvian  Bark,   152 
Quine,  Dr.  Wm.  E.,  41 
Quest,  author's,  84-91 

R 
Radium,   205. 
Ragan,    Dr.   G.    T.,   172-7 
Railway  injuries,  127 
Ranch,  Dr.  John  H.,   164,  189 
"Raw,"  swallowed  in  the,  171 
Rawlings,   258 
Reamy,  Dr.  Thadeus,  139 
Reed,  Dr.  Ezra,   178 

Dr.  Walter,  315,  317 
"Reconstruction,"   30 
Recovery,   remarkable,   53 
Regiment,  130th  Illinois,  178 
Report,  an  epoch-making,  314-317 
Reptiles,    some    "Union,"   59 
Remedies,  some,  96-7 
Resolutions,   brilliant,    179 
Responsibility,  terrible,  212,  216 
Return,  a  disappointing,  58 
Riley,  James  Whitcomb,  278 
"Risin,"   lancing  a,    65-6 
Rivalry,  strenuous,  53-7 
Roads,  bad  Illinois,  132,  138 
Romance,  130-1 
Routine,  day's,  25-7 
Rosa  Bonheur,  2 

S 
Saddle,  much  used,  210 
Sager,  Dr.  Abram,  16 
Sarah,  Miss,  23-4 
Shakleton,  Dr.,  135 
Spanish  American  War,  198 

Influenza,  291 
Stalwarts,    some   medical,   171-2 
Smallpox,  mild,  254-7 

at  Monticello,  235-7 
State  Board  of  Health,  84,  164,  248, 

258 
State  Medicine,  birth  of,  164,  325 
Committee  to  secure,  164 


"State  secret,"  27 
"Seen  lots  of  typhoid,"  222 
Secessionist,  a  rabid,  60 
Senn,   Dr.  Nicholis,  47 
Serous  cavities,  taboo  of,  81 
Sepsis,  56 

Serum  treatment,  300 
Sequelae,   malarial,   98 
Seeley,  Dr.  W.  W.,  139 
"Shree  day  '  ager,"  132 
Steele,  Dr.  J.  M.,  174 
Stegomia    Calopus,    315 
Steer,  Professor  Joseph,  24-5 
Stevenson,   Dr.   B.  F.,  91 

Robert    Louis,    76 
"Sweating  blood,"   213 
"Sweet"  and   "Sour,"   50 
Sex-field,  the,  207 
Sims,   Dr.  Marion,  308 
Simpson.   Dr.   J.  Y.,  75-6 
Skin-grafting,  141-2 
Springfield,   111.,   89,   90,   103 
Squibb,   Dr.  E.  B.,  315 
Social   hunger,   157 
Society,    Champaign    County    Medi- 
cal,  295,   300 

A  Veteran,   171-182 
"Sooch  an  honest  face,"  69 
School  curriculum,  53 

teacher,  47-55 
Soldier's   Burying  Ground,   4 
Some  drugs,  some  ills,  97 
St.    Louis,    55-56-70 
Subjects,  our,  23-28 
Suggestion,  remarkable,  265 
Surgery  in  the  70's,  154 

"rough  and  tumble,"  183 

limited,  148 

unclean,  5,  r41 
Surgeons,   three  remarkable,   75 
Surprise,    a   medical,    38-9 

a  financial,  22 

a  surgical,  38-9 
Student,  an  impecunious,   144 

with  the  cash,   144 
Suit,   mal-practice,   155-6 
Student  Morgan,   35 
Students,   "poor  but   honest,"   33 
Sydenham,  270-1 
Syme,  Dr.   James,  238 


Index 


333 


Taboo,  surgical,  81 
"Tater."   a,   221 
Tragedy,   a   drink,   235-7 
Trachelorrhaphies,  194-5 
Tanner,  Governor,  248-9 
Taylorville,   111.,    85-7 
Thanksgiving   dinner,   173 
Trailers,   285 
Teachers,  a,  47-55,  128 
Teachers,    Cincinnati,    138-143 

Chicago,  35-6 

St.  Louis,  53-70 
gone  wrong,  72 
Text  books,  superior,  77-80 
Terra  Haute,  Ind.,  177-8 
Tender-foot,  2,  28 
"Three  holes,"   113 
Treatment,  an  old-time,  123 
"They  had  no  poet,"  274-6 
Timber  rats,    135 
Tilton,  Theodore,  31 
Triumvirate,   city,   304 

Country,  182,  305 
Thinking,   some,    107 
Twins.   Siamese,   10,  11 
Tolono,  157-169,  191 
Tongue,  a  rasping,  56 
Touch,  getting  in,  238 
Trouble,    94,    216 
Tuberculosis,    238-247 

a  pathetic  case,  240-1 

Dispensary,  238 

horseback-riding  in,   271 

in    olden    times,    238-240,    269-70 

recoveries  from,  242-3,  270 

Sanatorium,   243-5 

Survey,  240-1 
Tuscola,  111.,  170 

Typhoid    Fever,    48,    104,    130,    204, 
220-3 

in  the  eighties,  185-8. 

endemic   of,    184-8 

fly,  112,  113,  206 
Typho-malarial  fever,  99-100 
Union  Army,   1-8 

U 
University  of  Michigan,  10-12-14-20, 
84 


Uterine  ostii,   ulcerated,  194-5 
Up  to  date  almost,  261-3 

V 
Vaccination,  discovery  of,  306 
Vandalia,  111.,  84,  91 
Veterans,  some  medical,  171-182 
Victim,   a  pitiful,   240-1 
Victims,    alcholic,    231-2 

tubercular,  243-47 
Vicksburg,  6 
Virchow,  Rudolph,  76 
Virginian,  a,   174 

W 
War,  Civil,   1-8,   205 

to  peace,   1-11 

Spanish   American,   205 
Washington  City,  318 

George,    293,   319,   321 
Washburn,   Dr.  T.  D.,  85 
Warren,  Dr.  J.  C,  73,  82 
Watson,   Sir   Thomas,   78-9 
Welch,  Dr.  W.  M.,  255 
Wells  and  outhouses,   114 

Sir  Spencer,   76 
"When  I  remember  all,"  326 
Wilkins,  Dr.  David,  2 

Dr.  Thomas,  50,  52 
Wilkinson,  Dr.  Chas.,  2,  257-8 
"Winter  fever,"   99 
Whiskey  as  anesthetic,  178 

lure  of,  208 
Whittaker,  Dr.  J.  T.,  140 
White  House.   318 
Wright,    Dr.   W.   B.,   141 

Dr.  Nehemiah,  89-90-95 
Wiser  than  his  time,  273 

Wood,  Dr.  H.  C,  311 
Words,  eloquent,  78-80 
Work,  an  interesting  old,  259 

a  great,  80 
"Which?",  125 
White,   Dr.   Carrie  N.,   238 


X 


X-Ray,  82-205 


Yates,   Governor,   252 

Z 
Ziemsen's  Cyclopedia,  266-7,  296 


'i-^v 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

610.923J63S  C004 

SIXTY  YEARS  IN  MEDICAL  HARNESS-  OR  THE 


3  0112  025312924 


